The Underland Chronicles II Book 1: The Warrior's Legacy
by Vengeous
Summary: Calvin Oberton travels to the Underland after being given directions to it by his late father. There, along with the deadly Ripred, brave Queen Luxa and controversial King Conrad, he is tasked to prevent a brewing war that may change the Underland forever. My first fanfic. Rated T for violence and coarse language. Please review it as much as possible.
1. Chapter 1: Calvin Oberton

_**Underland Chronicles II Book 1: The Warrior's Legacy**_

**This is my attempt to recreate the Underland Chronicles for fans out there. We may not be a large community but are certainly a dedicated one. Personally, I was not satisfied with the ending in Code of Claw, and would like to make-up for a poor ending in an extremely underrated series with this set of stories. I sincerely hope you enjoy it. As always, an author is motivated by the reviews he gets, so please please please review this story and incorporate suggestions into those reviews. Constructive feedback is definitely welcome, and if you are unhappy with the story, then please feel free to express your displeasure, albeit in the politest form possible. Spoiler Alert: I'm sorry but Gregor will not feature much in this story, as the focus will be on Calvin. If you want a better understanding of what I am writing about, please visit my preview to the Underland Chronicles II. So, ladies and gentlemen, here we go!  
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**Chapter 1: Calvin Oberton**

Calvin stared at the metropolis that was New York City from his vantage point. He was situated on the top of his late father's company building, the Oberton Complex. One of the newest additions to New York City's skyscrapers, it towered above most buildings in a 1-mile radius, with buildings such as 40 Wall Street being dwarfed by its size.

The skyline was beautiful, but Calvin paid no attention to that. He was only thinking of one thing: his father. Calvin's mother had passed away when he was 8, and while he was devastated by the loss, he never truly cared as much for her as he did for his father. She had passed away from illness; while you could not avenge your mother's death against cancer, you certainly could against the men who had killed his father.

According to his mentor, Mr Carter, his father had been tracked down and assassinated for unknown reasons. Some rumours were that the company's rivals, Zephyr, had ordered his assassination; others rumours claimed it was a family feud. Nobody knew for sure, because the policemen themselves were confounded by such a case. All suspects had alibis, and there really wasn't any other links.

However, Calvin couldn't care less. He had loss the guiding light in his life, the loving father who had showered privileges on him while teaching him so many important life lessons. Calvin was not devastated. He wasn't. the word devastated could not convey the agony that Calvin went through after his father's death. He swore to himself at his father's funeral, that he would gain vengeance and bring pride to his father's name. He had so much money that he didn't even need to work anymore for the rest of his life, but he would have traded all that money just to have his father back.

He was a broken teenage boy, and no amount of consoling from friends or money bestowed upon him would mend him.

Ever since his father's death, he had become a more secluded person. His friends in school tried to interact with him more, but he absolutely refused to open up. He had held back the tears or the cries of sorrow until he was home, with his kindly caretaker Bennett. There, he would sob and sob away as he felt his heart crumble, only for him to build up a barrier again the next day.

This routine was wearing him out. He could feel it. But he soldiered on, as he knew that was what his father would have wanted. He fancied himself pretty good-looking too, as girls in school would approach him and shyly ask him to go out for lunch. He thought dates would help to heal his heart, but they only antagonized his short temper instead. He had sent a girl home crying countless times, but he truly, truly did not care. They had no idea how it was like to deal with the death of a loved one.

He decided to stop feeling sorry for himself, and made his way down the building towards the street, before performing his usual Saturday routine of watching out for innocent people down alleyways. Mr Carter told him that his father was constantly striving to protect the weak and the innocent, and that was why Calvin sought to do the same. Ironically, it was down one of these alleyways where his father was killed. He ignored that thought, and forged ahead when he heard a cry for help. He rounded the corner and saw two men attempting to rob a young lady in her 20s.

Calvin sauntered up to the robbers slowly, and tapped one of the robbers on the shoulder. The robber whirled around and found Calvin's fist crunch into his face. Calvin then blocked a strike from the other robber, and reacted quickly to duck a swipe from the robber's knife. He backed up quickly, recalling what Mr Carter had told him._ Use the momentum of the person's charge to trip him,_ Calvin remembered. The robber charged at him brandishing another knife, but Calvin cooly sidestepped the attack and stuck out a foot, sending the robber sprawling. He then stomped on the robber's wrist, causing the robber to let go of the knife with a yelp of pain. He then proceeded to stomp on the robber's wrist, causing the robber to let go of the other knife with another yelp of pain.

Just as Calvin kicked the knives away from the robber, he felt a knife pressed against his throat. He sighed to himself. He had carelessly forgotten about the other robber. The robber snarled against his ear, " Kid, you better drag your sorry ass back to Daddy, cos' you ain't…"

At the mention of the word "Daddy", Calvin lost his cool. He swung his head backwards, smashing into the robber's nose, before gripping his wrist and twisting it, leading to the robber crying out involuntarily. He then leaned forward, pulling the robber's arm at the same time. He then dropped his shoulder, flipping the robber unceremoniously onto the ground. It was frankly a clumsily executed move, but it had served its purpose. While the robber was lying on the ground, gasping in shock, Calvin yanked him to his feet, and kneed him in the groin, before finishing the robber off with a solid right hook. The robber crumpled to the ground in pain. Calvin had regained his cool, but he couldn't resist replying coldly. "I have no Daddy, and you'll never be one," he snarled.

He heard the sound of familiar footsteps behind him, followed by the familiar clearing of a man's throat. " We need to work on your flipping." Mr Carter stated simply.

Calvin nodded in agreement. He turned around to check on the woman, but she was long gone. "She should have stayed back to thank me," Calvin grumbled unhappily.

Mr Carter, quickly cuffed the robbers, before replying, "You can't blame her. Most people would have taken to their heels given the chance to escape a situation such as this. Let's go back home and leave these scumbags here for the policemen. I'm revising the rat and bat anatomy with you today."

Mr Melvin Carter was a British immigrant, and had been staying in America for 16 years. He was about a good 6 feet tall, and weighed a solid 185 pounds. He was somewhere between his 40s and 50s, Calvin couldn't quite tell. He originally had a rich, smooth and cultured British accent, which he complained was badly affected by years living in America, with his "great voice suffering from the perversion of this damn American slang".

He had come to meet Calvin's father through a friend, or so he claimed. Calvin suspected it had something to do with his father's shipping business charging higher prices, and Mr Carter had been one of those men who stood up against his father. However, they became good friends in the end, and Mr Carter even became Calvin's godfather. He was a jack of all trades. he could simply perform any task set for him. He was like a walking encyclopedia, armed with tricks and skills. Calvin had never known a better teacher than him. He was simply phenomenal, and Calvin had a great amount of respect and love for him.

After his father's death, he had assumed the role as Calvin's mentor, while Mr Bennett had become the father figure for him. Evidently, his father had entrusted Mr Carter with the job of educating his son after his death, a role that Mr Carter had taken with great relish. What Calvin found unusual, was the topics he was taught. Apart from the basic knowledge acquired from school and Mr Carter regarding subjects like Mathematics and Literature, he was also taught about insect, rat,bat, and even fox anatomies, and where to land the crucial killer blows to these animals. Furthermore, he was taught how to use a sword to fight animals such as rats his size.

He was forced to take this seriously, even though he could never imagine himself attempting to use such a specific method to killing these animals. They were bloody small creatures! He would never need to fight rats his size, since that was clearly impossible. And what was up with foxes? There were no foxes in New York City, let alone massive 8 foot ones. Whenever he questioned Mr Carter's decision to learn about this… rubbish, Mr Carter would stare at Calvin with a slight twinkle in his eye, and ask Calvin to trust him.

And Calvin did. Apart from Mr Bennett, he was the person Calvin trusted most. However, the weird thing was that Mr Bennett never questioned those seemingly ridiculous lessons. Occasionally, he would stop by to listen for a while, a knowing look in his eyes. There was something those two men knew that Calvin didn't, and Calvin was adamant that he would find out why soon. He had been taught by Mr Carter for 5 years now, and he was 15 years old. Surely they could entrust him a secret, no matter how big it was!

Moreover, he was taught how to shoot a gun, how to engage in hand-to-hand combat, and how to barter or negotiate. This was a very specific skillset, and Calvin had soon realised after about 1 year of learning that this was a skillset meant for secret agents that worked for organizations such as MI6 and the CIA, bar the weird animal lessons.

He was sure that most of these lessons were taught by Mr Carter because of his father's death. He had a sinking feeling that Mr Carter knew the true reasons behind his father's death, and if Mr Carter was trying to prevent Calvin from learning about it, then Calvin would never know the true reasons behind his father's death, as Mr Carter would protect a secret to the end of his life. Nevertheless, Calvin put all his effort into learning as much as possible from Mr Carter's lessons. Once again, he had a sinking feeling that he would need to use these skills to protect his own life.

Once Calvin reached home, he headed up to his father's room. Often, when Calvin was feeling down, he would enter his father's room and examine his father's completed and unfinished work. In a sense, it was the only way he could connect with his father. However, what intrigued him most was a safe, locked, and according to Mr Carter, "heavily armed". Calvin hypothesized that all the answers to the unanswered questions about his father's life and death lay inside that safe. He swore that one day, and hopefully the time was coming, that he would open up that safe and find out all he needed to know. Calvin turned his attention back to his father's desk. He understood most of the dealings that went on in the corporate world, so he had no problem reading some of the letters on his father's desk.

However, there was one letter that left Calvin utterly confused. It was a letter addressed to him by a man named Vikus, and it was written in the most unusual handwriting Calvin had ever seen in his life. It went something like this:

_Dear Richard Oberton,_

_Thank you for all you have done for our city. We are saddened to hear from Ripred about the decision you have made, but we accept it. I just want you to know that my city is extremely grateful for the service that you have provided, and we have already taken measures to do your bidding. A storm is coming, Mr Oberton, and I believe that the chances of any of us coming away from this unscathed. However, the strongest weapon in our hands now is not a gun, nor a sword, nor a claw. That strongest weapon is hope. And I hope that before your final moments, that you will have that hope deep in your heart. We all carry the hope of a better age._

_Yours truly, _

_Vikus_

Calvin frowned after reading this for the umpteenth time. What kind of message was this? Who was Vikus? What city was he talking about? Who was Ripred? What service had his father done? Why was Vikus so grateful? What was his father's "bidding"? What the hell did Vikus mean by "a storm is coming"? Calvin was so frustrated by all these questions that he snapped out loud, "Who the hell has a name like Ripred?"

"Someone who has an honourable heart," came the reply from behind him. Calvin turned around to see Mr Carter leaning against the doorway, staring at Calvin.

Calvin threw his hands up in frustration. "That still doesn't answer the bloody question! Does that mean that all honourable people have a name like Ripred?" Calvin retorted.

"Perhaps you will have the answer to that question soon, if you stop whining like a little boy and act on your current situation. Now, lessons are about to start. When you are done bawling, you can head to the study and get ready for the lesson," Mr Carter answered coldly, before leaving the room. Calvin was shocked by the response of Mr Carter. Mr Carter rarely spoke in this manner. He would either explode in fury, or remain cool and calm. Never had he seen Mr Carter so cold before. He must have hit a nerve. But what had Calvin said wrongly? Shaking his head, he got up and made his way to the study, his mind buzzing with questions.

Calvin headed out of the study towards the physical training area after his lessons with Mr Carter. Thanks to his inherited wealth, he had all the resources he needed in order to train, and he wasn't going to take this situation for granted. He had the opportunity, and this was his chance to take it. He picked up a dagger, and practised his killer strokes on a dummy. He then switched to using the Beretta M9, a semiautomatic pistol, in one hand, and a flintlock pistol in the other.

He was still rather unfamiliar with the use of a gun in each hand, but he still practised shooting two separate targets with the guns. Once he was done, he then proceeded to work on his sword fighting skills. Mr Carter was rather particular about his finesse with the blade, as he claimed, "Every good gentleman must be adept with the blade. And fencing has always been a gentleman's sport." Calvin preferred to grip his weapon with both hands rather than with one hand, which was often seen in fencing competitions. But it didn't matter to him. All he needed to learn was how to use a sword in order to defend himself.

He was midway through attacking another dummy when he heard a squeak. He ignored it was not fond of rats, but he didn't feel the need to attack them. Then he heard another squeak. Then another. Then another. He was started to feel irritated. After a few more minutes of squeaking, he shouted, "Cut it out!" There was a sudden silence, before a multitude of different squeaks, shrieks and high-pitched whistles came round. Calvin remembered Mr Carter's advice: _Never lose your temper unnecessarily. In fact, never lose your temper. Trust me, it will be your downfall. _So Calvin endured the noise. However, the noise steadily increased, and Calvin finally lost his temper. He spun around, his sword flashing in his hand. And then his eyes widened in disbelief and shock.

Staring quietly at him were at least a hundred rats.

**There you have it, my first chapter. I sincerely hope you review it, so I may improve as a writer. Reviews are what keep me going and let me feel appreciated at least. So even if you are a guest, please just write a few words. It would be a massive boost for me. Thank you all! **


	2. Chapter 2: Fighting in the Shadows

**Hi Guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This is where things start to get exciting. We will see the story start to unravel, and the main antagonist will be revealed. Please remember to review my story please! It motivates me to carry on! So far, thanks to Gregortheunderlander1918 and Witwickety! Your support has made my day! So yea, please review my story!**

**Chapter 2: Fighting in the shadows**

Calvin gawked in shock at the mass of rats. There were so many different types of them! Brown, black, grey, red… wait, red?... striped, furry, injured… Calvin lost control of his body staring at the rats. He couldn't tell if he was frightened or just plain shocked. All he knew was that he couldn't move a muscle in his body. They stared at him inquisitively at first, but then they started shuffling forward slowly but surely.

That shocked Calvin into action. He swiped through the air with his blade once, hoping to frighten them away. Some of them hesitated for a moment, but most continued to edge forward slowly. Calvin reached out for his flintlock pistol and aimed it at them, his finger tightening around the trigger. That didn't scare them away in the least. Calvin felt cold sweat drenching his shirt, and he found his finger trembling over the trigger.

_Pull it! _His mind screamed at him. _Shoot the damned rats!_ But still he couldn't pull the trigger. His heart thumped hard against his chest. he needed to think of something fast… damn it, what could he do… they were within 15 metres of him… what happens if they converge on him… would they tear him to pieces… he should probably swing his sword to protect himself... Once again Calvin found himself unable to control the muscles in his body. However, he used all the willpower left in his mind to snap out of his stupor. Raising the flintlock pistol, he fired a shot into the air above him. This finally halted the rats in their lowered his weapon and trained it on them. "P-Please," Calvin stammered aloud, "b-back off. I do not want to harm you g-guys, but if you advance any further I will have no choice. What is it you want? Food? Look, I can give you a food, but I can't give it to you unless you back off."

The rats stared at each other for a while, they squeaked to each other softly, before returning their attention to him. There they stood, in a tense stand-off, neither side doing anything except staring at the opposition. Calvin breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard Mr Carter calling out for him. He must have realized that Calvin was taking way too long doing physical training. However, that didn't seem to faze the rats. They continued to remain in their positions, staring at him. Damn it, what was up with these rats? What were they looking for? And why the hell were there so many of them?

Then Calvin heard a high-pitched shriek that must have echoed throughout the house. The rats gnashed their teeth in frustration at Calvin, before scurrying out of the room. Within moments, they had evacuated the room and mysteriously exited the mansion without a trace of their existence, except for the disgusting rat saliva left in the room. Calvin then could have sworn he saw a massive shadow of a four-legged creature hanging around outside his doorway. Was it a giant… no, it couldn't be, rats didn't grow to those sizes, it was utterly impossible!

Intrigued by the shadow, Calvin rushed forward to take a look. However, the shadow was already moving away. And it was moving away very fast. He had barely turned around the corner, when he caught a glimpse of a grey mass turning and disappearing around the corner of the other end of the hallway. What the hell was that creature? The first animal that had come to mind was a rat.

The shadow had whiskers, was shaped like a large furry rat, and had a rat-like tail. But Calvin was very sure rats didn't grow to that size. Maybe it was a large dog… no, even dogs didn't grow to that size. On its haunches, it must have been at least 6 feet, but it was also incredibly large width wise. Maybe it was a lion that escaped from the zoo. Animals did and continue to escape from the Central park zoo, which was closest to his home. He wasn't sure if they had a lion though, but it honestly didn't matter. A very large creature had just entered his home, and it had scared the wits out of Calvin.

He was about to turn round and call for Mr Carter and Mr Bennett when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Still reeling from the shock of seeing a hundred rats and a large horrendous creature hanging around his home, he jumped and let out a high-pitched scream. When he spun around, he found himself looking at Mr carter, who raised an eyebrow at the scream. That was when Calvin lost all control of himself.

"MR CARTER! You've gotta help us! Our house is under attack by crazy rats and big human-eating creatures! Call the cops! Call the NYPD, the FBI, Homeland Security, call all of them! Call my father's security as well, they are needed to be around me every hour of every freaking day. Those rats were going to KILL ME!THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE MY BLOODY FREAKING LIFE! Is that how my father died? There were so many of them… what are we going to do? Can you promise to protect me please?"

Mr Carter nodded his head patiently. "Please Calvin, calm down, and maybe we can..."

Calvin didn't let him finish his sentence. He continued blabbering, "Why the hell are you telling me to CALM DOWN? Do you have any idea what I'VE BEEN THROUGH? Oh, and I forgot, call pest control and tell them we have a FREAKING RAT INFESTATION in our home! And they better do a bloody good job of it, because if not I WILL SUE EVERY SINGLE…"

"SHUT UP OBERTON! THAT'S ENOUGH!" roared Mr Carter.

Calvin instantly fell silent. Mr Carter rarely addressed him by his surname. Mr Bennett came rushing down the corridor. "What on earth is going on? What's with all the shouting and screaming?"

Mr Carter broke his icy stare away from Calvin and turned to Mr Bennett. "Nothing is going on, Mr Bennett. However, we happen to have rat saliva in the physical training room. If you would be so kind to help us clean it up…"

"I swear it wasn't nothing. I know what I saw, and I saw a hundred rats gathered in front of me," growled Calvin.

Mr Carter turned to face him once again, before snarling at Calvin, "Don't interrupt me again Oberton. We will deal with the situation at hand with a good deal of calmness."

Calvin noticed Mr Bennett going white with… fear? Mr Bennett didn't fear anything, not even the deadliest of animals. With a trembling voice, Mr Bennett spoke up. "It's time isn't it?" he asked Mr Carter.

Mr Carter stared forward expressionlessly. He then answered slowly. " Mr Bennett, I will speak to you privately later. I need to hear from Ober… Calvin first," he corrected himself through gritted teeth, "but for now, please just help us clear up the rat saliva in Calvin's room. It would be greatly appreciated." Mr Bennett nodded quickly, before making his way to the kitchen to get a towel. Mr Carter gestured to Calvin to follow him.

Mr Carter led him to the study wordlessly, before closing and locking the door behind him. Mr Carter stared at Calvin for a while, causing Calvin to feel a little uncomfortable. "Calvin Oberton," he began slowly, "tonight will probably be life-changing for you. Because at the end of the night, I will probably be gone, and you will be alone. Seeing Calvin's face, he explained, "That means I will be dead, and you will have none other than yourself and Mr Bennett to save your life."

Ignoring Calvin's look of shock, he continued, "I understand that this will come as a shock for you, and I'm sorry that this has to happen to you again. I know that you have so many unanswered questions in your head, and my current conversation with you will add to that list. I am truly sorry, but I cannot explain to you much at the moment. As a young 15 year old, you deserve much more than this, especially for a character like yourself. I assure you though, that many of your questions will be answered tonight, and that the secrets that lead to those answers lie there," he said, pointing at a small box, before carrying on, "in there lies a key. The key to unlock your father's safe, which should lead you to your answers."

Mr Carter suddenly sounded hundreds of years old. "Whatever happens to you, know that I loved you like your father did, and I am very proud of you and what you have done. There is no greater joy for a teacher than seeing his pupil succeed," Mr Carter's voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper, as he hunched over in misery.

He struggled to say something, and Calvin noticed tears welling up in his beloved teacher's eyes. Mr Carter calmed himself before finally forcing out his last words during this talk, "I-I m-must admit, I didn't take this as well as your father had. Trust me, it is difficult to accept your own death," he said, taking a deep breath, "It is time for me to accept what your father accepted."

He straightened up, and looked into Calvin's eyes with the most intense stare Calvin had ever seen Mr Carter give. "No matter what happens to me Calvin, if I do not return by 11pm tonight, open up that envelope," he said, pointing at a brown envelope, "because it has a code to opening the wooden box which conceals the key. Once you have done so, open up the safe. And follow its instructions step-by-step. But remember, whether I am alive or dead, as long as I am not home by 11pm tonight, you must open that envelope," Mr Carter said with added emphasis.

Calvin was at a lost for words. All he did was nod slowly. Mr Carter gave a sad half-smile at Calvin, before getting up and saying to Calvin, "Now give your teacher a good hug." Calvin found himself in his teacher's arms, with hot tears rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably. Mr Carter patted him on the back a few more times before letting go. His last words before leaving were, "Stay strong, Calvin Oberton. _Our legacy will be immortal_," Mr Carter said, quoting the family motto. With that, he gave a tearing Mr Bennett a quick hug, before putting on his hat and trenchcoat. He took a look at the mansion one more time, before closing the door behind him.

Mr Bennett headed back to his room, visibly distressed at the whole situation. Calvin stared at the family motto engraved on a large golden ship in the living room. _Our legacy is immortal, _Calvin read. Was that really true? It was so difficult to forge a legacy, but so easy to destroy one. Were legacies truly immortal? He then decided that he had enough of standing by and watching his loved ones die. "Damn all of our legacies, I just want all of you alive," he murmured to himself. He quickly grabbed a black jacket,snatched his flintlock pistol, and slipping on his jeans and sneakers, headed out into New York City's crisp autumn, following the trail of Mr Carter, who was only just over a hundred yards or so in front of him, with the New York moon starting to rise over the city.

Calvin had no trouble keeping up with Mr Carter for once. Mr Carter was walking unusually slowly, with his long strides now relatively smaller. He was clearly scared of something, and was not ready to meet it. Calvin attempted to keep his distance to prevent Mr Carter from realizing that he was following him. After making his way through the packed streets of New York, he abruptly turned and crossed through Central Park. At one point, he even stopped to look at a stone wistfully. _That stone must have been of some significance to him_, thought Calvin.

Mr Carter now doubled his pace and headed towards a deserted alleyway. Calvin wanted to call out to him, to tell him not to make the same mistake his father made, but Calvin's warning suddenly got caught in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. In the end, he decided to stay by one corner and watch the situation. He quickly dashed towards a shadowy corner, and peeked from his position to look at the situation.

Mr Carter stood in the middle of the alleyway. He remained in that position for a few minutes, unmoving. Just as Calvin began to lose his patience, and walk towards Mr Carter, Mr Carter called out, "I know you are there." Calvin froze in shock. How did Mr Carter know?

He was about to step out and reveal himself, when he heard a slow, menacing laugh coming from another section of shadows. "Well done, Mr Melvin Carter,"came a smooth, velvet voice, "very impressive." The voice sounded like it belonged to someone like Alan Rickman, but Calvin really couldn't see much. All he saw was an enormous shadow rise up in the alleyway. Once again, darkness and shadow obstructed Calvin's vision. Mr Carter looked up at the creature, which had reared up on its hind legs, bringing it up to 8 feet in height. It then dropped onto all fours.

At first, Calvin thought that this was the creature that he had seen in his home earlier, but after observing the monstrosity for a while, he realized that this creature was much, much bigger. Mr Carter calmly responded, "Ripred indicated that you would be up here. He told me that if he ever rose up to the Overland, a monster would be following him. And he was right." There it was again. That name Ripred.

The shadow chuckled again. "I'm no monster, Melvin. May I call you Melvin? How about Mel? I'd prefer saying that. It only has one syllable. Oh dear, I've been blabbering. Poor habit of mine. I assure you though, that I will not dishonour your death with my incessant blabbering." That was when the creature opened its closed eyes, revealing two yellow eyes. Calvin couldn't see the rest of it, but he was fixated by those eyes. He was riveted by the power that radiated in those eyes, the madness, the cunning and worse of all, the cruelty. Those eyes symbolized a usually unconquerable enemy, Mr Carter had told him. These people, or creatures in this case, were driven by an insatiable hunger for destruction rather than material benefits.

The creature smiled, revealing two sets of clean, gleaming white teeth. "As you can see, I haven't eaten in a while. I am absolutely famished! Well, I guess my teeth are going to be stained with your blood tonight," the creature said with a slight shrug. Mr Carter drew out a blade, and shifted his body into a fighting stance.

The creature grinned again. "This will be over quickly," it said quietly, almost to the point of a whisper. Then, the creature leapt at him.

Calvin could barely see anything. Mr Carter was a good fighter, but with the blur of shadows that was going on, he really couldn't tell who was winning. He still hadn't seen what the creature looked like, apart from its yellow eyes and serrated teeth. The shadows kept moving, and damn was that creature fast. Within half a minute, he heard the creature swipe at Mr Carter with astonishing speed. He heard Mr Carter cry out in pain, and resisted the urge to run out and help him._ Wait for the right moment,_ his instinct told him. Mr carter dropped to the ground, clutching his back in pain.

The creature, lay back for a while. "Not bad, Mel, not bad,although like most opponents, you couldn't even make a scratch," he mocked Mr Carter, "but don't you worry, I'll finish you off in a while. Maybe we can wait for your pupil to arrive." The creature suddenly sniffed the air. "Hold on a minute, he is here! Dear me, how did I not notice his scent? Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your _fear _and _anguish_. Come on, move out of your hiding place."

Calvin saw the silhouette of Mr Carter look up. "C-Calvin?" he said weakly.

The creature chuckled once more. "So that's his name - Calvin," the creature said with great relish, "He must have seen us fight, Mel! He saw his own teacher fall! Ah I guess, I must wait a long time for the next opponent to give me an injury."

It was Mr Carter's turn to chuckle. "I wouldn't count on that," he said, before brandishing a gun and firing a bullet at the creature. The creature had already begun to move out of the way, but it was too late. He heard the creature shriek in pain, before bounding away. Calvin couldn't see it very well, but just as it rushed away, it dashed underneath a street light. And that was when Calvin saw a shade of brown, or red, before it disappeared into the shadows.

He then rushed out of his hiding place and sprinted towards Mr Carter, who was lying in a pool of his own blood. There were slash marks all over him, and he was bleeding profusely from a massive scratch running down his back. Calvin ignored the sticky blood and whipped out his handphone, while stripping off his own jacket to stop the bleeding on Mr Carter. Mr Carter was losing consciousness fast. Just before Mr Carter passed out, he managed to wheeze out to Calvin, "Why do you never do what you're bloody told to do?" Calvin ignored that continued to stem the blood flow while dialing 911. He wasted no time after the police picked up the phone. "Hello,we have an emergency on 36 Barrow Street. A man is losing blood fast and has passed out. We need an ambulance right away." Tossing his phone aside after the call ended, he focussed on Mr Carter's injuries. "Come on Mr Carter, hold on a while more. Don't die on me. They'll be here soon. Just hold on." He didn't care whether Mr Carter could hear him or not. He seemed to be consoling himself more than Mr Carter.

As every second passed, Mr Carter's life continued to slip away in Calvin's arms.

**There we have it! Chapter 2! Sadly, I will not be writing for another 2 weeks as I'll be very busy during this period. However, please continue to review my 2 chapters so far and feel free to add suggestions if you need to. I promise you, after this 2 weeks, I'll be back to update the story. Thank you to all those who have reviewed my story so far. You have my deepest gratitude. To all readers, fly you high!**


	3. Chapter 3: Decision

**Surprise! I was able to squeeze out a little more time for the third chapter today. Now, in all seriousness, I will not be able to write another chapter for the next 2 weeks, which is a real pity, since we were going to see Calvin in the Underland for the first time in the next chapter. Once again, my thanks goes out to my faithful reviewer Gregortheunderlander1918! **

**However, I really would like to receive more reviews, as I have only seen 4 so far despite having over 70 views. Hopefully more will come by. Even if you are a guest, I beg of you- Please review my work! It shouldn't take more than one minute, and it goes a long way for me whether it is a negative or positive review. So please review my work. Thank you all!**

**Chapter 3: Decision**

Calvin waited patiently in the hospital waiting area, reflecting on the whole situation so far. He had told the cops what he had seen, and they hadn't believed a word he'd said. They told him to go home and rest, saying that his judgement was affected by the traumatic situation. They claimed that Mr Carter had been knifed by a number of gang members, and the doctors at the scene had confirmed. They claimed that the so-called "monster eight feet tall" did not exist, and that all would soon make sense in Calvin's mind after he had calmed down.

_What a load of bullshit_, Calvin thought to himself.

He knew what he had seen; he had seen a eight foot tall beast, with the ability to talk and to smell him and his feelings. The beast had just mauled the most proficient fighter Calvin had known, and was still very much alive. There was no way Calvin was going to change his mind on the situation.

He paced up and down the waiting area, impatiently waiting for news on his teacher. He checked his watch anxiously. It was still only 9.30pm, far from the time stipulated by Mr Carter. He continued to pace around restlessly, frustration boiling up within him. Then the words of the creature echo in his head, and he felt himself gripped with fear. "I can smell your fear and anguish," the creature said. How was it possible? How could you smell feelings? Calvin just shook his head and continued waiting. He was waiting, and waiting, and waiting… soon he felt himself starting to drift off… he felt so tired.

In his dream, he found himself in the company of 2 people. One was a frail woman, who seemed to have translucent skin. Damn, Calvin could see parts of her anatomy in her head! The other was a massive, jet-black bat, easily the size of a large car, or maybe even bigger. The frail woman stared at him for a while. Calvin found himself feeling rather comfortable. Those violet eyes of her were really unnerving. "_Why am I here?_" he asked, his voice sounding distant and far away.

The creepy woman with the weird face smiled at him. " _I know who you are Calvin Oberton. It is your destiny to come to the Overland. My name is Nerissa. At the moment, my physical body is very ill, but my mind is as healthy as ever. That is why I am able to converse with you,"_ her voice sounded just as distant and far away, "_I have forseen your future. You are destined to join us in the Underland. Just as your father sought to protect us, so shall you." _

Calvin frowned. "_I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking ab…" _he trailed off as realization dawned upon him, "_wait, you've met my father?_"

The woman named Nerissa nodded sadly. "_Indeed I have. I know you have no idea what we are talking about. I know you are confused about the situation and your judgement is clouded with anger at your current predicament. Do not fear, soon you will understand. Ah, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce you to Ares. Calvin the Overlander, meet you Ares the Flier._"

The large bat nodded his head politely. "_Greetings, Overlander. It is a pleasure to meet you._" Nerissa then continued, "_Ares is dead in his physical form, but his soul continues to live on where I can see it._"

Calvin shook his head, confused by the weird woman's formal use of speech, the massive bat called Ares who was apparently dead, and terms he had never heard of before. "_What did you call me? Overlander was it? Why am I called Overlander? My surname is Oberton, not Overlander._" The bat burst into a noise that sounded like "_hur hur hur_". Calvin soon realized he was laughing.

"_What's so funny, Ares?"_ he snarled at the bat.

Nerissa shot him another sad smile. "_Forgive us, Overlander. There are many things you have yet to understand, and your insatiable hunger to find out the truth fuels your emotions. You will have to trust us for now." _

Suddenly, Calvin's world rocked, and his vision blurred slightly. Nerissa's smiled disappeared quickly, and was replaced with a frown. "_Overlander, it is time for you to leave. When you wake up, you will forget this dream. However, know that there will be people watching out for you, and that your answers will be answered soon…" _her voice began to trail off.

Slowly but surely, the figures of Nerissa and Ares began to disappear. Calvin began to panic as he felt himself losing control of his body. "_Wait…" _he called out, with darkness beginning to engulf him, "_wait…"_

"Mr Oberton, wake up. We have news about your teacher," a gentle voice said to him.

Calvin opened his eyes and looked up into the sad eyes of the doctor. "No," Calvin said, sitting up in alarm, "don't tell me he's gone."

The doctor smiled at him. "On the contrary," she said, "I was going to tell you he lives."

At the mention of Mr Carter's survival, Calvin instantly got up and hugged the doctor. The doctor, stiffened slightly, before relaxing and hugging him back. "Thank you," Calvin murmured.

The doctor let go of him, and nodded, replying, "You're welcome, Mr Oberton. However, it is my duty to inform you that while Mr Carter will survive, he has suffered from severe blood loss, and will not fully recover for the next few weeks. His injuries sustained are bad as well. I cannot assure you that he will be the same man after he recovers."

Calvin nodded grimly. He wasn't too disappointed though. He hadn't even expected Mr Carter to survive. He turned to view his surroundings. Mr Bennett was present, with a look of pure relief on his face. A girl… wait, what was Samantha doing here?

Samantha walked up to him and gave him a hug. He patted her back a few times, feeling uncomfortable from the whole situation. Samantha was one of those girls in school chasing him, and he wasn't impressed at all by her obvious flirting with him on a daily basis. However, she seemed genuinely sorry for him right now, so he decided to let it slide.

She whispered into his ear, "I saw you following your tutor to the hospital. I just decided to visit you to see how you're doing." She then buried her face into his chest. Calvin found Mr Bennett staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Calvin just pointed at her and rolled his eyes, causing Mr Bennett to chuckle a bit. He knew he didn't have to explain himself. Mr Bennett already knew the hordes of girls in his school that chased him, both for his money and his looks.

Calvin then noticed the doctor watching him and Samantha. He broke free from the hug, blushing slightly, and stood to one side awkwardly. Samantha waved goodbye to him and left the hospital. The doctor then walked up to him and nudged him slightly. "You have a pretty girlfriend," she said briefly, before walking back into the operation room.

Calvin sighed exasperatedly. "She's not my girlfriend!" he called out to the doctor. The doctor just turned around and winked at him, before entering the room.

After waiting around another hour, the doctor returned and advised Mr Bennett and him to return home and rest. She assured him that Mr Carter was safe in their hands, and wouldn't leave him unattended. With that, Calvin and Mr Bennett reluctantly left the waiting room.

As Mr Bennett drove Calvin home in a Mercedes Benz S65, he refused to answer any of Calvin's questions. He just quietly drove on. Calvin gave up trying to ask questions in the end, and headed to his room the moment he placed a foot in his house. He took a quick shower before collapsing his bed. He was dead tired, but his eyes refused to close. He had already slept in the waiting room. He suddenly remembered dreaming about something… what was it, it was important… Calvin just couldn't remember anything from the dream. He forced himself to recall the dream. he didn't know why he was trying so hard, but he remembered because it was something important. A shade of black... a shade of violet… something translucent… that was all he could remember. These details didn't even trigger any memories in his head. He kept forcing himself to think harder, but no matter how hard he tried, the memories of that dream evaded him. But that was when he remembered Mr Carter's words.

"_But remember, whether I am alive or dead, as long as I am not home by 11pm tonight, you must open that envelope._"

Mr Carter's voice rang throughout his ears with those words. Calvin immediately went to check the time. 10.55pm. Five minutes more. Calvin weighed the options in his head. Should he still open the envelope? After all, Mr Carter was alive. He had probably only told Calvin to open the envelope because he was expecting to die in the battle with that , he had told Calvin to open the envelope by 11pm no matter what happened. Calvin shook his head in frustration. Then, Mr Carter's voice rang throughout his head once more.

"_the secrets that lead to those answers lie there."_

That sentence was all Calvin needed to hear in order to make his decision. He checked the time again. 11.01pm. He had taken a full five minutes deliberating over such a difficult decision. With adrenaline beginning to course through his veins, he jumped to his feet and rushed towards the study.

Calvin opened the door gingerly and stepped into the room. He didn't want Mr Bennett to find out what he was doing. He might stop Calvin from carrying out his "mission". Calvin picked up the envelope. On the outside, it seemed absolutely inconspicuous, as if it were another one of his father's envelopes. But, apart from that, why did his father not find a way to protect it from prying eyes? Shaking his head, Calvin opened up the envelope and peered inside. He found a small, crumpled strip of paper.

Unravelling it, he began to read. It read: " 789 ecso 63he 4 di t". Calvin frowned, trying to make sense of it. He stared at the paper, turned it upside down, glanced at it in a mirror, and kept trying to make sense of it. Then Mr Carter's voice returned again.

"_You're a smart boy, Calvin. When you are breaking a code, trust your instincts. You have a natural flair for solving puzzles."_

So Calvin trusted his instincts. He let his mind and senses take over, using his mind to unscramble the sentence. Within minutes, he had unscrambled it. He stared triumphantly at his piece of re-written work on a piece of rough paper. The message read, "The code is 789634."

Grinning proudly, he then inputted the code into the automated lock on the wooden box. The lock flashed red, and a robot voice croaked out, "_Access denied. You have 2 out of 100 tries left."_

Calvin eyebrows instantly furrowed. People had evidently attempted to break into his father's box using that strip of paper. And they had failed. But that wasn't what worried him. He only had two tries left to break a code that could have any number of digits inputted. He couldn't even tell if it was a 6 digit code or not? His father must have left a hint as to what the password was. He tried reversing the code, but the robot voice croaked out once more, "_Access denied. You have 1 out of 100 tries left._" Calvin sighed in frustration. So that was why Calvin's father hadn't bothered concealing the envelope. Who in this world could guess the code? He sat back, growling furiously. He felt hope slipping away from him. Why did Mr Carter think he could guess the code?

That was when Mr Carter's voice entered his head, repeating the same line as before.

"_You're a smart boy, Calvin. When you are breaking a code, trust your instincts. You have a natural flair for solving puzzles."_

Calvin then let his instinct take over. His eyes scanned the piece of paper for any hints. That was when his own voice in his head whispered to him,"Who said it had to be a 6 digit code?" With renewed hope, Calvin analyzed the original message once more. And that was when his mind clicked. He noticed that the digits "789" were grouped together, the "63" was grouped together and the number 4 was all alone. His mind went to work. "Could it be…" he mumbled aloud. He had to take the risk. There really was no choice. His hypothesis was that the code was the number of digits of each section of numbers in the original message descending order. That would make the code…

"3-2-1,"he breathed aloud. It didn't seem to make sense to him, yet it did at the same time. It was incredibly far-fetched, but if Calvin trusted his gut like how Mr Carter told him to, then that was the code he was going to input. He needed to trust himself. Taking in a deep breath, he jabbed the numbers into the system. Calvin held his breath. He honestly didn't dare to breathe. The machine whirred for a while, and then the box unlocked itself.

Calvin let out a huge sigh of relief. He opened the box, and found a gleaming gold key in it. Mr Carter was right. He needed to trust his gut more. He quickly made his way up to his father's room. He stared around the whole room. This was a historic moment for Calvin. This was a milestone in his life. This was where his future would be decided. Here in his father's room.

He slotted the key into the lock of his father's safe. Taking in yet another deep breath, Calvin opened the safe. Inside the safe weren't many contents. In fact, there was only one thing, and it was a small, dirty and clearly weathered book. Calvin frowned. This was far from what he was expecting. All the secrets kept by his father in this small, filthy book? Calvin could scarcely believe what he was seeing. He was expecting much, much more. With technology developing these days, his father could have left him with a recorder or a hologram, but what was he left with? A crappy book.

Sighing disappointedly, Calvin picked up the book. The title of it was "Journal Entries of life in Underland." Calvin's curiosity suddenly piqued. He began to flip through the book, which had a grand total of a 150 pages. He was fascinated by the details of rat anatomies, insect behaviour, and so much more his father had recorded. Then he flipped to page 112. On it were scribbled the big words: "FOR MY SON CALVIN."

Calvin began to read the next page. It started off with a short note, or letter-of-sorts:

_My dear son Calvin,_

_If you are reading this, then you probably know I am dead. In fact, I am sure you know I am dead. Mr Carter is probably dead too, if you are reading this. You have had so many secrets in your life. You're probably wondering how I was killed, why Mr Carter teaches you how to use a sword, why the function of the rat anatomy is so important, etc. In fact, seeing as you are an inquisitive boy, you've probably read Vikus' letter to me, and you're probably wondering who is Vikus and who is Ripred? Most importantly, you're probably wondering why I died and who killed me._

_As you're reading this, I can tell you that you're running out of time. So I'll get straight to the point. However, before I continue, you must know that what you are going to read next is the absolute truth. And I am not lying about whatever I'm telling you next._

_There is a world that exists below ours that contains wonders you cannot even begin to imagine. It is called the Underland. It is home to humans, not quite like us. They were led here hundreds of years ago, and although their human body functions are the same as ours, you will soon find out that their appearance is different from ours. For example, you can see large parts of their circulatory system if you examine them closely. This land is protected by a queen, and if I am not wrong, Vikus is her grandfather. Incase you have forgotten, Vikus was the one who wrote that message to me._

_The Underland is not just home to humans though. It is home to rats, cockroaches, bats and even moles. However, these aren't the normal animals you see in New York City. These are titanic creatures, easily 20 times their size at least. Some of these animals are good, others are evil. Some are monstrosities that come from God knows where. There are some you can trust. For example, you can trust Ripred. He's a rat, and he's rather mean at times, but I trust him a lot._

_I found out about this land when I was approached for funding by a team called Operation Claw. They intend to enter the Underland and exterminate whole species of animals while experimenting on them. My conscience told me I couldn't allow it. I accessed their classified information and made my way to the Underland to warn their inhabitants of the coming threat. While Operation Claw would stay in the dark for most of the coming decade, I had to prepare the inhabitants of the Underland. _

_That was how my death came about. Although Operation Claw never found out that I had warned the inhabitants of the Underland, they discovered that I had planned to do so. Hence, while I'm writing this for you, they have already dispatched assassins to kill me. _

_This is where you will come in. While I am dead, I still have hope for the innocent creatures you can protect in the Underland. While I am not sure how, some trusted soothsayers in the Underland have predicted that you will play an important role in saving it and its inhabitants. In the end, we really don't know what you will do, but it is my wish to see you serve it. The directions to the Underland are in the next legae._

_My son, I understand that you may feel upset about my decision to save an Underland that doesn't owe us anything. While that seems true, I have never felt more self-satisfied than helping these people. I firmly believe that this was my duty- to save these innocent creatures from the clutches of Operation Claw. While I have not seen my mission completed, I hope that you will complete it for me. Even though the Underland appears to be a dark and scary place full of threats and challenges, it is only through surviving the darkest of nights then you are able to see the brightest of dawns._

_I am sorry for placing this burden on you. In the end, it is your decision as to whether you choose to save the Underland or not. No matter what happens, know that I will always love you, even if death separates me from you._

_Our legacy is immortal._

_Love,_

_Your father_

Calvin just couldn't bring himself to turn the page. He felt astounded by what he had just read. If what his father wrote was true, then that would explain many things. The creature in his house, the monster that killed Mr Carter… yet Calvin still struggled to believe it all. Once again, he was faced with a difficult decision. Should he proceed any further. He was wading into dangerous waters. Somehow, he knew that once he went down this route, there was no turning back. This was a life decision.

"It's all true, you know," came a weary voice from behind Calvin, "I've seen it myself."

Calvin turned around to see Mr Bennett standing behind him. "You saw all this?" Calvin asked, gesturing at the letter his father wrote to him.

Mr Bennett nodded, before adding, "It's your choice though. You can choose to turn your back on this kind of life. You've learned all the answers to the secrets that was concealed from you. What do you want to do?"

In all honesty, Calvin didn't want to help out the Underland. Protecting the Underland could lead to the end of his life, just like his father. He didn't owe any allegiance to the Underland. Hell, he didn't even know the Underland existed until a few seconds ago!

And then Calvin realised the consequences of his actions. He thought of all the innocent creatures killed by Operation Claw. He thought of the guilt of having given up on the lives of these innocent creatures, on not being the great man his father was. Worst of all, if he didn't protect the Underland, his father's death would be in his vain. His father had died with a glimmer of hope. And Calvin didn't intend on destroying that hope.

In that instant, Calvin knew what his decision would be.

"I'm going to the Underland, even if it costs me my life."

**That concludes it for Chapter 3! So I'll be away for 2 weeks, but I'll be back to update the chapters, and I hope I don't disappoint!**

**Please remember to review my story. It is very very important to me! Trust me, it means a lot to me, and I would like to kindly ask for a minute of your time to post a review! Thank you! And fly you high!**


	4. Chapter 4: Falling

**I'm back! Sorry for taking almost 3 weeks! Honestly, I'm kinda disappointed by the lack of reviews my story is getting. Once again, I would like to thank my faithful reviewer Gregortheunderlander1918. Maybe I'm not writing well enough, or my story is a bit too slow-paced. Maybe, y'all wanna see Gregor in action, and not a new fictional character. I don't know what the reason is, but even if you DO have something bad to say about my story, I would like you to say it, because then I can improve as a writer. For now, I'm just asking all my faithful readers out there to give me a chance with this story. Nevertheless, I ain't giving up yet, so ladies and gentlemen, here is Chapter 4. Please remember to spend maybe a minute writing my story. It really encourages me to continue writing, because it means that people actually give a sh*t about my story.(I apologise for the expletive.) Anyway, this chapter may appear quite boring, but there is better to come.**

**Chapter 4: Falling**

In those few minutes after Calvin had made his decision, a flurry of thoughts entered his mind, as he pondered on the consequences of his actions.

He sat down on his sofa, and recalled the significant milestones in his life so far. He was born on December 6, 1999. His father was Richard Oberton and his mother was Cecilia Myles. He was the only child in the family. His father had initially become rich through his shipping business, but became richer through his other businesses in departments Calvin hadn't even heard of. His mother came from a wealthy family as well, but became a housewife after his father's business began to flourish. Calvin grew up in a comfortable and happy environment for the first half of his life, living the luxurious lifestyle. However, he was taught never to take anything for granted, most certainly not his wealth. He was given a good education, and grew close to his caretaker, Mr Jareth Bennett.

He was also close to his father's friend, Mr Melvin Carter. Mr Carter often came over to their mansion for tea on a Sunday afternoon, and generally spent a lot of time with the family when he could. According to his father, Mr Carter was a lonely man, and when he did not have a purpose in life, he would go to the bar to get drunk. Calvin had heard horrible stories of what had happened when Mr Carter had a pint too much, but he didn't mind. When Mr Carter was sober, which he generally was, he was an awesome mentor.

But his life began to change. For the worse, after travelling to Liberia for an educational experience with his parents, his mother contracted a disease that doctors then knew very little about. His mother suffered external and internal bleeding, as her organs began to deteriorate, and she began to lose blood. Calvin and his father could not do anything to help Cecilia. Hell, all they could do was stand on the sidelines and watch his mother die. The doctors tried to help her, but the cold, hard reality was that there was no known cure for that disease. The disease was called Ebola.

These days, whenever people in his school made fun of the disease, he would not hesitate to get into a fight with them. Those assholes knew absolutely nothing about how it felt to watch your loved ones suffer from a disease like that. And he hated them for that.

Then his father began to engage in some funny business, where he was frequently away from home. At first, Calvin thought his dad was going out with some new woman, and that was why he often left for days and did not return home. Calvin originally despised him for that. How could he betray his wife? But Calvin realized there was something extremely important that his father was doing. At that time, he didn't know what it was, but now he knew. His dad had been going to the Underland. And it had cost him his life.

Calvin didn't know whether to despise his father for giving his life away for a population he owed nothing to. It had left Calvin with an immeasurable amount of pain and a mountain of problems to handle. In his father's will, Calvin would practically inherit everything his father had at the age of 18. That included his father's businesses.

Calvin had no idea how he was supposed to live up to the legacy his father had made for the family. Hell he had no idea on how to help the Underland! What on earth did his father expect him to do?

Then there was the issue of explaining to his school and the people around him. What happened if he died in that rotten hole beneath the earth? What happened if he never returned to his city? What would people say about him? And if he did return, how would he explain his absence?

Calvin shook his head in frustration. There were too many thoughts swarming his head. He really needed to clear his mind. The memories of his past were hitting him hard and fast. He slumped into the sofa even more. An emotion that felt like depression struck him. Calvin felt himself beginning to lose a grip of himself and his surroundings. He shook his head even more. And that was when that horrible laugh began to echo through his mind. The laugh that came from the creature that attacked Mr Carter. And that laugh seemed to mock Calvin, as the words of the creature reverberated through Calvin's head.

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Calvin." A voice came from behind Calvin, and Calvin leapt up in shock. However, it was just Mr Bennett, holding out his father's journal to him. Calvin shuddered slightly, remembering the creature's voice, before nodding and accepting the journal. He opened the book to page 113 and began to read it.

_Dear Calvin,_

_If you have decided to help the Underland, then read my next few words carefully. It will determine whether you survive or not on your way down._

_There are five entrances to the Underland. Only two of which I know. Believe it or not, one is in our home, and another is in Central Park. _

_A few years ago, in my bid to become more of a philanthropist, I bought the land of an apartment building, while providing property at the same time for those who I was buying the land from. I built our current mansion on this piece of land. I had no idea that this mansion I bought was built over the entrance to the Underland. Apparently, Operation Claw knew this, because they sent people asking me to grant access to the Underland. I hid the entrance away from them, but I will tell you where it is now. However, you must promise that you will burn this book after you have reached the Underland. If i falls into the wrong hands, then the Underland is doomed, and so are you._

_I realised that when I rebuilt the apartment, the old shaft which leads to the Underland was broken, so I built a new one. It lies one floor beneath the basement, and nobody knows about it. There is a secret door opening up to the stairs which lead you to that basement. That door requires a password. You know the password(hopefully). Once there, you will be able to see the shaft. It is painted gold and is frankly, quite easy to spot. Enter the shaft(don't forget to bring Mr Bennett with you. You will need his guidance.), and follow the next few instructions VERY CAREFULLY. _

_Once you fall through the shaft, you will feel as if you are falling through empty space. Please do not panic. If you do, things could get really ugly. You will find wisps of vapour swirling around you. These wisps of vapour are like currents,just relax and let yourself fall. Soon, the wisps of vapour will thicken into a dense, white mist. You will be falling very, very fast. Once again, do not panic. You might jeopardize your entire journey. Essentially, you are falling down a large, dark tube. But do not search for a handhold down this tube. I assure you, you are completely safe. Once you are close to the ground, the currents will start to dissipate, and you will slow down. Once again, do not worry, because you will land safely. The landing will not be more than a slight thud or thump on the ground. You will find a small light shining from a crevice. The crevice is quite wide, since it is no longer occupied by cockroaches. You and Mr Bennett should be able to move past it quite easily. You might or might not find an escort there to bring you to Regalia. If you don't, then just follow the trail. It might take a long time, but you will get to Regalia eventually._

_If you don't like this path, you can still go to Central Park, but seeing as it is newly renovated with new additions to the park, it might be a bit of a problem to find the stone which leads you to the Underland without being seen._

_And if you feel this is too much for you, then don't do it. Many courageous men would not take such a trip. I will not hold it against you if you choose not to go._

_Our legacy is immortal._

_With love,_

_your Father_

_P.S. Do remember to bring a torch light._

Whether Calvin was going or not was really a no-brainer. He was convinced that he had to go, and nothing was going to change his mind. Not even the daunting trip to the Underland was going to throw him off his path. He calmly slotted the journal into his bag and slung the bag over his shoulder.

Mr Bennett waited for him at the basement, torchlight in one hand, a small pistol Calvin couldn't recognise in the other. "Ready?" he asked.

Calvin nodded, and walked towards the door. He quickly input the numbers "3-2-1" into the machine, and the door automatically unlocked itself with a slight click. Calvin and Mr Bennett then pushed hard against the heavy door, clearly designed to survive explosions and gunfire. The lights lit up automatically, illuminating the stairs leading down to the next floor. After carefully closing and re-locking the door behind them, they made their way down the stairs quickly but quietly.

Upon arriving at the bottom, they found themselves in a large, empty room coloured white, except for a small portion of a wall, which was a dazzling gold. His father was right. The shaft was easy to spot.

Inhaling deeply, Calvin made his way over to the shaft, and Mr Bennett quickly hurried over. "Are you sure about this?" his caretaker asked.

Calvin nodded wordlessly again. He then opened up the shaft. Calvin could feel his heart hammering against the front of his chest. This was it. The defining moment in Calvin's life. He didn't waste any more time pondering over his decision. Taking a deep breath, he hurled himself down the shaft.

The sensation of falling hit Calvin hard. He had never felt this kind of feeling before. It felt almost like...oblivion. His stomach churned slightly, his heart thumped harder than ever, and he felt truckloads of sweat rolling down his body, but he refused to let himself panic. He attempted to maintain calm as he hurtled down the shaft at breakneck speed.

Slowly but surely though, he began to regain his senses, and he was soon vaguely aware of Mr Bennett falling behind him, looking absolutely as calm as ever. Of course, Calvin was aware of the currents surrounding him, as he felt the white mist encircling his body.

After a while of remaining calm, Calvin began to feel his heartbeat rising. The fall felt like an absolute eternity! He began to speculate wildly. What if he had fallen down the wrong hole? What if the darkness was trapping him? What happened if he had actually fallen down the throat of a large monster?

He was brought back to reality with a resounding jolt through his body, as he landed with a hard thump on solid ground. A few seconds later, he heard Mr Bennett land beside him. Mr Bennett broke out into a fit of coughing. Calvin crawled over to him. "Mr Bennett, are you alright?" he asked the older man, who was in his 50s.

Mr Bennett coughed slightly once more, before replying, "I'm fine, Calvin. I'm just not used to the amount of dust in this place."

Calvin intensified his torchlight, casting more light on the whole area. It appeared to be a large cavern, containing stalactites and all other kinds of rocks. Calvin didn't bother trying to recognize them. Hauling Mr Bennett to his feet, he scanned the area for any sign of an organism's life. He couldn't find any.

"Doesn't seem like there is an escort here," he informed Mr Bennett.

Mr Bennett nodded curtly. "Seems like we have to follow the path, Calvin," he said simply.

Calvin then took off down a small winding path away from the cavern. The path led them into a tunnel, where Calvin began to hear the first forms of life. He heard something small scuttling across the floor, and he even heard what he thought was whispering. However, wherever he flashed his light, an empty space greeted his eyes. He knew what he had heard though. This place was bursting with life, and Calvin didn't need his father's journal to know that.

After walking through the tunnels for what seemed like an eternity once more, he stepped out into a clearing, which branched out towards three different tunnels. Calvin and Mr Bennett halted abruptly, and gawked at the three tunnels.

"I'm stumped," Calvin admitted, "I have no bloody idea which tunnel to choose."

Mr Bennett shook his head as well, mumbling, "It always has to be 3 tunnels."

Calvin suddenly realized that his father hadn't specified what Regalia would look like. How would he know when he was there or not? Calvin sighed, before indicating towards the left tunnel. "I've got a good feeling about that one," he told Mr Bennett.

Mr Bennett only shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he responded.

Calvin headed down the tunnel quickly, taking out his knife and making marks every 5 metres they walked down the tunnel. That way, if they needed to backtrack, they knew where they were going. The tunnel continued to lead them through all kinds of twists and turns, and smelled at absolutely horrible. It smelled like rotting flesh and… Calvin couldn't find another word to explain the terrible stench. At one point, Calvin spotted blood stains on the floor. He stopped and leaned in to take a better look at the stain. It seemed to be fresh, and was still sticky. Calvin made a face and backed off slightly. "I don't recognise this kind of blood. It's red but not quite like that of a human," he told Mr Bennett.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Mr Bennett called out from behind him. Calvin whirled around and found Mr Bennett pointing the light from his torch at a human skeleton. Calvin jerked backwards in surprise slightly, before recovering his composure. That blood isn't from this human. The skeleton is at least a month old, but the blood can't be more than a day old," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Let's head back. I think we went down the wrong tunnel," he said to Mr Bennett, desperate to get away from the bloodshed. He didn't have a very good first impression of the Underland. The tunnels were tight, damp and dark, and he felt quite sick from the sight of a dead body and fresh blood.

They moved back to the clearing, where Calvin decided to take the tunnel on the right. The middle tunnel was rather creepy, with its narrow width and constant howling sounds coming from within it. Calvin figured that the route to Regalia must be the most inviting of all the 3 routes possible. He made his way down the tunnel, walking at a comfortable pace. Soon, he saw a slight clearing ahead of him, perhaps about a couple of hundred yards away. He started to move faster, and he began to grow excited! This was it! Their perilous journey had ended!

Within a minute and a half, they emerged into an enormous clearing, dwarfing the cavern they had landed in earlier. Calvin could see for miles and miles in all directions. He saw crevices and small hills of rock, and he saw a river rushing near by. Despite being amazed by his surroundings, he couldn't help but wonder aloud, "THIS is the city of Regalia?"

Then he heard numerous voices beginning to chuckle. "No, it isn't, Overlander. But once we have taken the city, then we can show it to you," someone said snidely.

Calvin spun around and flashed his light at the sound of the voice. The light landed on a dozen creatures, fur all reddish-brown. Their eyes were an emerald green, and they all had razor sharp claws and teeth. On their haunches, they must have been about close to 8 feet tall. Calvin had no doubt who these creatures were. They were massive foxes.

Calvin couldn't help but stare at the largest brute. He must have been well over eight feet, and though his fur seemed a bit mangled, he still looked incredibly imposing.

The fox grinned at him hungrily.

"Welcome to the Underland, Calvin the Overlander."

**So this is it. I know this chapter may appear quite dull, but my ideas are bursting to life in the next few chapters. Once again, I'm begging you guys who read my stories to please review my work. And I would like to apologize once more for my "late submission."**

**Fly you high!**

**P.S. Be sure to contribute names for the foxes if you want to! Their names are generally Ancient Roman based(names like Brutus), so go ahead and suggest a name and it might be added to the story.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Scarred Rat

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Remember to review the story if possible. Even a short review would be welcome! Here goes Chapter 5. And the slight lull in my story is over! It's time for some action! Thank you to Witwickety and Gregortheunderlander1918 for your reviews! And to all other guests who have reviewed as well!**

**Chapter 5: The Scarred Rat**

Calvin gulped nervously. The fox licked his lips intimidatingly and began to advance towards Calvin. Calvin and Mr Bennett instinctively took a step back, brandishing their knives. The fox's smile grew wider. "Why so scared, Overlander? We're here to help," he said with relish.

Calvin felt a lump growing in his throat. He needed to distract the fox, but how? He searched through his mind furiously for a topic of discussion. Maybe he could stall for time… or distract the fox in order to escape. He swallowed nervously again, before asking, "So where's Regalia again?"

The foxes all burst out into laughter. The main fox, still guffawing away, answered, "I told you boy! We will show you after the city is ours! Oh, where are our manners? My name is Brutus, high general of Flavius. And you are… oh yes, I know your name. Your name is Calvin Oberton. And the old fool next to you is your caretaker."

Calvin felt his heart slamming harder than ever before against his chest. His sweaty hands began to lose a grip on his knife. He turned to Mr Bennett. He was absolutely frozen with fear, staring at Brutus with his mouth agape. Calvin then turned back to Brutus. "It was you," he said, feeling contempt in his voice, "you attacked Mr Carter in that alley."

The fox seemed to be taken aback with genuine surprise. "That was not me. That was our leader, Flavius. But he didn't tell me you were there." Brutus seemed a little bit irritated for a while but shrugged it off quickly. "Nevertheless, here we are. You can choose to cooperate with us, and follow us back to Flavius. Or you can choose to be my first meal in a few days," Brutus snarled maliciously.

Calvin noticed the more foxes appearing behind Brutus, and they began to file down Calvin's left and right hand side. They were essentially blocking off an escape for him. So much for trying to distract Brutus. He decided to just shut up, but curiosity got the better of his discipline, and he asked Brutus, "Why do you want to capture me? Why do you need me?"

Brutus' casual demeanour earlier was quickly replaced by a serious tone. "Because we will lose the war if you fall into the hands of our enemies. The Regalians and their allies will use you as a weapon against us. We can't have that. And we're not like them. We don't use people as weapons. That's just too cruel."

Calvin could not control his tongue. He lashed out at Brutus, "If you guys aren't cruel, then why don't you let me make my own decisions instead of threatening me, you bitch?"

He almost regretted his decision immediately. Brutus' smile turned into a malicious snarl, and his eyes narrowed in fury. "I suggest you choose your next few words carefully boy, for they may be the last to come from your mouth. Flavius has ordered me not to kill you, but he never specified whether I can harm you or not."

At that instant, Calvin heard a low growl coming from the end of the tunnel he had come from. He spun around to see a shadow pacing forward steadily. Suddenly, the shadow burst into a sprint, and exploded out from the end of the tunnel.

At first, all Calvin saw was a blurred grey mass emerge. But as the figure continued to advance and sprint forward, Calvin was able to catch some details about the creature. Two criss-crossing scars across the face. Razor sharp teeth. Bloodshot eyes, full of deadliness. Muscular limbs. A long, twitchy tail. Whiskers. Elongated snout. The creature must have been about 6 feet long. Calvin soon realized what he was looking at.

That creature was the largest rat Calvin had ever seen in his life.

And it was running straight at him.

The rat bared its teeth into ferocious snarl, as he closed in on Calvin's position. Calvin stumbled backwards, and opened his mouth to scream as he felt pure fear grip his heart. The rat took one look at Calvin's expression, and seemingly rolled his eyes. A look that resembled disgust crossed the rat's face as he leapt.

Straight at Calvin.

Calvin couldn't control his voice anymore. He closed his eyes and screamed at a pitch higher than ever before. He felt a wave of air brush past him, and he squeezed his eyes shut even more. When he opened his eyes, the rat was standing in front of him, facing Brutus. Calvin saw everybody, including Mr Bennett wincing, probably from his scream. He coughed sheepishly and turned to observe the rat. The rat was standing in between him and Brutus. It seemed as if the rat was… trying to protect him.

Brutus' cruel grin earlier was replaced with a wry smile. "Lord Ripred," he breathed, "we meet at last. What an honour."

Calvin suddenly realised who the rat was. "You're Ripred? My father spoke highly of you," Calvin told Ripred.

The scarred rat only nodded slowly. "Most people speak highly of me," was all he said to Calvin, before turning back to Brutus.

Calvin frowned. This Ripred character seemed quite arrogant. And Calvin despised arrogant people… or in Ripred's case… arrogant creatures.

Ripred eyed Brutus, before speaking. "You must be Flavius' high general Brutus. Your majesty makes some interesting calls on who becomes general. He seems to think old and slow fighters fit the job description," Ripred taunted, while smiling evilly.

Brutus only returned the smile. "So this is how we start off?" Brutus asked, "mocking each other in our first meeting?"

Ripred shrugged. "Would you rather start fighting already? I'd rather not. I like to talk about myself for a while. The usual, you know… my stupid duties in Regalia, and the number of animals I killed this past month… which reminds me, I haven't killed anyone for the past 2 years. But I feel that may change soon," Ripred answered coolly.

When Brutus did not respond, Ripred continued. "You know, for a group of animals named Schemers for their intelligence, you seem to like being controlled by your master."

Brutus snarled angrily at Ripred. "You would like to test my patience, Lord Ripred? It would not be very wise."

A grin crept back onto Ripred's face. "On the contrary, I think it is."

Brutus ignored that comment, growling back, "Our master is the deadliest of us all. As you know, not only is he the most intelligent of us all, but he is also a rager. You know all about that, don't you Lord Ripred."

Ripred snarled in return. "If you're master is a rager, why won't he come and fight us?" the rat spat back at Brutus. It was Brutus' turn to smile. "That is because no one knows if you are the only rager in the enemy's midst. Remember the last rager you knew? The warrior?" Calvin saw Ripred stiffen.

Brutus began to chuckle. Man, these foxes loved to chuckle. Then Brutus began to speak again. "You still have a soft spot for the dead warrior, am I not right? I hear he was your best student. I hear the rumours, that once he was gone, you attacked the training ground dummies more ferociously than ever. I hear the rumours that till today, you continue to make references to the warrior when training your soldiers. I hear that you never say his name again, out of fear of the pain. Like the pain when you lost your mate and your pups. I know you never let that situation go. The dead warrior. You actually miss him." Calvin noticed Ripred's muscles tensing.

Brutus continued when Ripred didn't answer. "How about the queen? I heard she took it harder than you. Locked herself in her room for days. They speak of her insomnia. Her self-starvation. Her rare public appearances. I hear she cries his name out loud every night. Oh, and I've heard she refuses to bed her husband out of memory of him. The warrior. What an impact he has left on all of you. What a legacy he has left on Regalia," Brutus drawled.

Calvin had no idea what Brutus was talking about, but it was angering Ripred.

"Say his name," Brutus whispered, "I want you to say his damn _name._"

Ripred refused to speak. He was trembling in fury. Brutus whispered again. "Say his name."

Once again, Ripred held his tongue. Brutus began to speak louder. "Say it. SAY IT!" Brutus yelled.

"SHUT UP!" roared Ripred, and readied himself to leap at Brutus, who was smiling from to ear to ear. The other foxes all moved into a defensive crouching position. But Ripred never leapt.

He calmed himself down, and looked Brutus in the eye. "You baited me, schemer. You won the taunting battle," Ripred said, sounding weary.

Calvin suddenly blurted out, "They're called foxes."

Ripred looked at him in surprise. "What did you say?"

Calvin swallowed nervously, now saying more quietly, "They're called foxes, not schemers."

Ripred and Brutus just shook their heads. "These humans, especially the boy. He is such a pain in the arse," Brutus muttered shaking his head.

"Must I really save his life? This boy is always interrupting me," Ripred complained.

Brutus sighed, mumbling something that sounded like, "I feel your pain."

Ripred sighed as well. Then, turning to Calvin, he snarled, "Thank you for your input, Captain Obvious. But little boys should be seen and not heard," before turning back to face Brutus. Calvin was taken aback by surprise. Had Ripred just called him a little boy?

Brutus continued the conversation. "Despite how brave it must be, you must admit that coming to save the boy on your own is a futile mission."

Then, an arrogant smile reappeared back on Ripred's face. "Dear Brutus, who ever said I came on my own?" With that, he made a high-pitched squeak. About half a dozen rats came scampering down the tunnel, and they surrounded Calvin and Mr Bennett.

Brutus looked amused. "Your students?" he asked.

Ripred shrugged. "You could say that," he replied.

Brutus turned to his foxes for the first time since Calvin met him. "Kill them all. Including the boy and his caretaker. Flavius will have no need for his stupidity." With that, the foxes began to advance on the rats, Calvin and Mr Bennett.

Ripred hissed at them, and they flinched and reared backwards instinctively. Brutus growled. "I said KILL THEM ALL!" he roared.

Ripred only smiled. Then, the foxes leapt at them.

Ripred surprised all of them. He hurled himself at them, attacking them mid-air. He sliced through the air with his claws, drawing blood from at least 4 foxes, before dropping back to the ground. He retreated quickly back to his original position, slashing his way back into position. He stood a few feet in front of Calvin, before he began to spin.

Calvin had never seen anything like it. Ripred was moving so fast he only appeared as a blur of grey. Amongst that grey, Calvin could see spurts of blood flying all over the place, probably mostly coming from the foxes, as Ripred did not look injured at all. After about a minute of spinning, Ripred staggered backwards slightly. Taking in a deep breath, he growled, "I'm too old for this," before launching another attack at the onrushing foxes.

Once again, Ripred appeared to be in a league of his own. Despite the fact that he was facing at least 3 foxes at a time, and with all of them bigger than him, he was more than holding his own. Just when it seemed that a fox would land a blow, a claw would get in the way and block the strike, before countering with a slash of its own. Already, two foxes were lying mortally wounded on the ground, their underbellies slashed open.

Mesmerised by the battle scene, Calvin turned his attention to the other rats. They had formed a tight semicircle around him, mostly defending themselves from the foxes' attacks rather than striking back as Ripred was doing. One fox plowed his way through two rats and landed next to Calvin, but the two rats promptly recovered and clawed his face viciously, blinding him. The fox howled in pain as the rats quickly tore him to shreds, before returning their attention to the next wave.

Calvin just stared at the fox. The wave of brutality he had just witnessed hit him like a tidal wave. He suddenly felt incredibly sick. He then turned to face Mr Bennett, but Mr Bennett was no longer standing up. He was lying on the ground, clutching his heart. "Oh no," Calvin breathed aloud, before dropping to his knees and examining Mr Bennett. It was clear he was suffering from a heart attack.

"Ripred!" Calvin called out, "Mr Bennett is having a heart attack!"

Cursing under his breath, Ripred barked back at Calvin, "Hold on boy! Keep him alive for a little while more!"

Calvin had no idea what to do. He was not trained for dealing with heart attacks. He was absolutely clueless. Instead, he just began talking to Mr Bennett. "Hold on, Mr Bennett," he told his caretaker, "help is coming." His caretaker spasmed slightly, and Calvin started to become desperate. "DO SOMETHING!" he yelled at Ripred.

Grunting under the force of another attack, Ripred barked orders at his rat students, "Flyfur, get the caretaker out of here. Sixclaw, cover your sister's escape! And tell the reinforcements to double their pace! There are too many of them!" Both rats nodded, and after Sixclaw helped to put Mr Bennett on Flyfur, Flyfur took off like a bullet, evading the fox's attacks, while Sixclaw helped to defend her.

Sighing anxiously, Calvin turned to watch Ripred, who was now fending off six foxes at once. He ruthlessly tore the throat of one out, before using his teeth to tear the limb off another. His tail jabbed one fox in the eye, and then he launched himself forward, sinking his teeth into the fox's shoulder. A howl of pain escaped the fox before Ripred tore his throat out as well, all the while fending off other blows. Slowly but surely, more foxes poured forward to attack Ripred, and Ripred was being forced to retreat, albeit how slowly it was. The other rats were also being forced to move backwards, as the foxes began to search for weaknesses. Calvin felt absolutely useless and helpless as the foxes began to close the distance.

Suddenly, a fox managed to break through Ripred's seemingly impenetrable defence and took a swipe at Ripred's side, drawing blood. Snarling angrily, Ripred lashed out furiously tearing through the foxes just through sheer anger and determination. One by one, the foxes slowly fell at his feet as he fought more furiously than Calvin had ever seen. Motivated by their leader, the other rats did the same, fighting ferociously and killing as many foxes as possible.

Suddenly, Brutus made a low-pitched purr, and the foxes retreated slightly, gathering behind Brutus. Brutus observed Ripred's trail of destruction, and the bodies all torn to pieces by the rat. "You left none in your wake, Lord Ripred," Brutus mused, "in fact, you are even better than rumours claim you are. But I will rid Regalia of its best fighter today."

"The chances of that happening are not as high as the chances of the schemers losing their high general," Ripred spat back furiously.

Brutus cocked his head to the side, looking fairly amused. "Let's see who is right, Lord Ripred." Ripred didn't waste time with anymore words. He crouched low, and readied himself for Brutus to attack. Brutus hurled himself forward at lightning speed, swinging his claws. Ripred blocked both attacks easily, before replying with a double swipe of his own. But Brutus had already moved back quickly, and held back searching for a weakness. He then lashed out at Ripred's eyes, but Ripred had already swerved out of the way, and threw himself through the air, spinning and slashing simultaneously. Brutus was just able to dodge the attack, but not before one of Ripred's claws sliced through the tendon of his left hind leg.

Growling in frustration, Brutus limped out of Ripred's range, panting heavily. He launched another attack, but Ripred handled the attack, either blocking with his claws or moving out of the reach of Brutus. He then surprised Brutus but flipping and landing on the high general's back, sinking his teeth deep through Brutus' hide. Roaring in pain, Brutus dropped and rolled and shook his body, throwing Ripred off his back.

Ripred staggered back to his feet, returning to his original position in front of Calvin. He heard the rat mumble, "Where the hell are those damn reinforcements?"

Meanwhile, Brutus hobbled back towards the foxes, visibly in pain. He turned to face Ripred, his face contorting into one of rage. Calvin had never seen anger like that appear on an animal's face."Lord Ripred," Brutus snarled, "you seal your place among Regalia's dead."

Ripred sneered back at Brutus in response. "Is your back bothering you, general?"

Brutus was just about to reply, but the fox next to him was suddenly beheaded, as a series of black shadows descended on the foxes. Calvin looked up to see at least 300 human riders on what seemed like… bats?... sweeping down to kill the foxes. Calvin stumbled backwards in sheer amazement at the scene. The bats hovered above the foxes for a while, before diving down, with the riders on their back drawing their swords and slashing. Instantly, almost the entire fox battalion was killed or maimed. Brutus cried out a signal for retreat, as he scurried down a hole in the ground, but less than half a dozen joined him. The rest were ruthlessly slaughtered by the riders and their bats.

Ripred collapsed in exhaustion. A female rider totally covered in armour, leapt off the bat and landed next to him. "Lord Ripred?" she asked in concern.

Ripred coughed slightly, before replying, "Took you a while, General Perdita."

The woman smiled at him. "I thought you said you could take them on," she teased.

Ripred shook his head. "Even a rager can be outnumbered, General. I began to crack at about a hundred to one."

"It used to be four hundred," came her curt reply.

Ripred laughed. "I'm getting old," he said, before seeming to remember Calvin. He turned to face him. "Ah there you are, Calvin. In case you haven't been paying attention for the past half an hour," he said, clearing his throat, "I am Lord Ripred, high general of Regalia, leader of the Gnawers, Chief Councillor to the queen and Head of Regalia's defence and training system. Do you have any intellectual questions to ask that won't lower my intelligence quotient?"

**Chapter 5 complete! Please remember to review my work after reading this chapter. I hope to upload my next chapter soon!**

**P.S. Did you like my portrayal of Ripred? If you are reviewing my work, please comment on my portrayal of RIpred if possible.**


	6. Chapter 6: Welcome to Regalia

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter! In this chapter, things are gonna be less intense, but hopefully still interesting, as we get to see the impact of Gregor's actions on the city even after an eight year absence.(yes, he has been gone for that long). Thanks goes to Gregortheunderlander1918 for the suggestion on Calvin's response. I'll be incorporating it into the story :)**

**Please remember to provide a short review. Any review would be good! No matter how short the review would be. Thanks guys!**

**Chapter 6: Welcome to Regalia**

For the umpteenth time, Calvin swallowed nervously. He had just seen this rat tear foxes to pieces firsthand, and combat enemies much larger than him with ruthless ferocity. This rat was not one to mess with. He just stared at Ripred, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. This rat was a killing machine.

"If you are stunned by the length of my title, then I understand. It's such a pain to say the whole thing. But you know how the Council is with protocol sometimes. Not that I listen to the Council all the time, you know," Ripred said, looking like he was caught up with talking about himself.

When he noticed Calvin continuing to stare at him wordlessly, he grunted in frustration. "This boy is as blur as that infantile sister of Howard," Ripred grumbled, "what's her name?"

"Chimney," Perdita offered, still not taking off her helmet.

"Ah yes, Chimney," Ripred said triumphantly. He then scowled at Calvin, "Any questions, boy?", shocking Calvin back into his senses.

"Uh…" Calvin began, "I was going to ask you… uh…"

"Stop stammering and get to the point, boy. Otherwise we're loading up!" snapped Ripred.

Calvin swallowed nervously again. It was becoming a habit. "I was going to ask… uh.. where Regalia is… cos' my dad told me to go there… and I don't know where it is," Calvin blabbered out.

Ripred snorted. "That's where we are going, nitwit," he said, turning his attention back at the human riders, who had gathered with their bats around Ripred. "Paulus, get off Hecate and let me and the Overlander use it. You fly with Perdita," Ripred ordered. The rider nodded, and leaping off his bat, joined Perdita on her bat.

By now, most of the riders had removed their helmets, revealing the most unusual faces Calvin had ever seen in his life. With metallic-blonde or silver hair, violet irises, and pale, almost translucent skin, Calvin was absolutely surprised by how they looked. He had seen plenty of unusual people in his lifetime, but never like this.

He felt something nudge him, and when he turned he realised it was Ripred's tail. "Stop staring boy," the rat whispered harshly, before turning his attention back to Perdita. "Did Flyfur and Sixclaw get to you? And how is the caretaker?"

"They did," Perdita answered gravely, "but as for the caretaker's condition, we are in the dark as well."

Calvin felt his blood freeze cold at the mention of Mr Bennett's condition. "We have to get back!" he said, gripping Ripred's fur.

"Let go of my fur," Ripred snarled.

Calvin backed away quickly, but could still feel the panic surging through his entire body. Ripred gestured for Calvin to sit on a orange-striped bat. He quickly climbed on and Ripred joined him. "Double your usual speed, hecate" he told Hecate, and she nodded obediently. Ripred barked out one last order just as she took off. "Count the number of casualties on their side and report to me!" he called out. Perdita nodded in response.

Calvin wrapped his hands around the bat's neck and held on tightly. The sensation of being exposed high up in the air was new to him. He closed his eyes, and squeezed it shut, praying desperately for his and Mr Bennett's safety. Suddenly, he felt a claw rest on his shoulder. "There's no need to be worried, boy," Ripred's voice flowed through his ears, "we'll catch you, and we're flying back as fast as we can. You need not squeeze your eyes that tight. Or you can, but you'll miss the best part." Calvin opened his eyes and viewed his surroundings. They seemed to be crossing a large river, with thousands of caverns and other objects Calvin couldn't identify standing around. The bat cut through a series of high-ceiling tunnels before arriving on the other side.

And Calvin's jaw dropped in absolute awe of Regalia.

He pretty much forgot about his and Mr Bennett's current city's beauty was almost incomparable to any other city he had ever been to before. It had the look of a half medieval, half Renaissance city, with beautiful arches, domes, and structures. Calvin also could have sworn he saw what looked like a large stadium, hidden by a building much more captivating. Standing tall and proud in the backdrop of it all, seemed to be a titanic castle-of-sorts. And deep down on the ground, there wasn't just roads, but a connecting series of bridges that led to areas, which he could see was densely populated rats, doing their own work. The walls of the city were being patrolled by a combination of rats and humans.

But Calvin spotted something immediately. He saw an enormous statue, about 50 feet in the air, erected next to the castle. It appeared to be a warrior, clad in black armour, and he was carrying a beautiful sword in one hand, and a glittering dagger in the other. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Ripred's voice interrupted his thoughts, "welcome to the city of Regalia."

Calvin couldn't help but breath aloud, "It's magnificent." Then he returned his gaze onto the statue. "Who's that?"

Ripred froze for a moment, before recovering quickly to choke out, "That is… the warrior. Legendary saviour of Regalia. He was one of you."

Calvin looked at Ripred questioningly. "What do you mean he was one of us?" he asked.

Ripred cleared his throat, before replying, "He was from… what's that name called… New York City."

Calvin turned to Ripred. "He was from New York? Is he still alive? Is he still here? May I speak to him?"

Ripred bowed his head, before mumbling, "Indeed he is from New York. Alas, you can't speak to him. How do I say this…" Ripred trailed off, searching for the appropriate words. "Well, technically he is dead. He died here. You can't speak to him."

Calvin frowned. "What do you mean, "technically?""

Ripred just shook his head. "Look kid, just take it as if he's dead."

Calvin sighed in disappointment. It would be cool if he had a mentor to guide him here in this unknown world. "Did you know him?" he asked Ripred.

Ripred nodded slowly. "Yes, I did," Ripred replied, "I was his teacher. He wasn't a very good student though. I preferred his sister much more."

Calvin didn't hear the last part. "You taught him?" he questioned Ripred, "can you teach me too?"

Ripred eyed Calvin from head to toe, before muttering, "Maybe."

Hecate flew and hovered at the gates. A guard called out, "Open the doors for Lord Ripred!" Calvin's eyebrows shot up in amazement as the double doors of the city opened up and Hecate flew through.

"Damn the Council and their stupid protocol," Ripred grumbled, "why can't we just fly over the walls?"

"In case of enemy attacks, my lord," Hecate answered Ripred politely.

Ripred dismissed that idea with a wave of his paw. "Ha! As if foxes have wings!" he retorted. Hecate broke out into a noise that sounded like "huh huh huh". Calvin realized she was laughing, but something else hit him.

"This is deja vu," Calvin murmured, "I've heard a bat laugh like this before."

Ripred eyed him questioningly. "That's impossible," Ripred said, frowning, "you've never met our kind of bats in your life before today."

"I know," Calvin replied, "I don't know why I remember that." He realised that many people had begun to look out of their windows at him. Honestly, he was feeling quite uncomfortable from the attention. He never really enjoyed the limelight. It was hopeless though. He really looked weird in the midst of these people.

Just then, Hecate swerved to the left, leading them straight to the titanic castle. Ripred smiled at the sight of it. "This is the palace, and we are going to land in the High Hall," Ripred informed Calvin, "and it can act as a fortress as well."

Calvin observed a number of people gathering at the High Hall. "Ah, Vikus and company," Ripred chuckled, "always so desperate to please new guests. Especially if they are Overlanders."

A regal-looking young couple, an old man, and a number of guards made up the human group welcoming him. Joining them was a rat, as well as… what were their names… Flyclaw and Sixfur, or something like that. Furthermore, there were a couple of cockroaches, about half a dozen bats, and some… rats again, but they looked much smaller and more meek. there were a few other creatures Calvin couldn't recognise, but it was very unnerving that all of them were staring at him.

Calvin jumped off the bat rather hurriedly, forgetting to thank Hecate. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was the condition of Mr Bennett. The old man stepped forward to greet him first. He had a kindly look on his face, and a slight twinkle at the eye. "Greetings, Overlander," he introduced himself, "I am Vikus. Do not fret, your caretaker, Mr Bennett, has a stable condition at present. He will survive."

Calvin breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Vikus," he said, and then a thought struck him. "You knew my father, didn't you?"

Vikus only smiled. "That confirms my suspicion. You are Calvin Oberton, son of Richard Oberton, are you not?"

Calvin nodded, feeling much more comfortable, even amongst the presence of these strangers. Vikus could be trusted, since his father trusted him. And Vikus gave Calvin an oddly comfortable feeling when they were talking.

"Come Calvin," Vikus said, gesturing at the rest of the company, "let me introduce you to our leaders in the alliance."

He first led him to meet the cockroaches. "This is Temp, leader of the cockroaches, and his mate, Click." Both cockroaches were easily 4 feet long, and they bowed their antenna respectfully. Calvin felt the need to bow in return, so he did.

And then Temp surprised him by speaking. "Know you, the warrior and princess, know you?" he asked.

Calvin had no idea what Temp was saying, so he turned to Vikus and stared at him also pleadingly. "No, Temp, I don't think he knows the warrior or the princess," Vikus answered. Temp seemed disappointed, but only bowed respectfully again.

Calvin then met a few animals in quick succession. First he met a spider called Reflex, then he met a mole whose name he couldn't pronounce, before being introduced to an intelligent mouse called Heronian. The mouse looked at him, almost sorrowfully, before asking him, "Do you know a girl called Lizzie Walker?"

Calvin shook his head, but added, "But when I return to the Overland, I'll look out for that name." The mouse smiled gratefully and nodded in thanks.

Calvin was then brought to meet the newly-crowned queen of the bats, a black and white striped "flier" called Nike, who was also part of the bat's delegates to the alliance. She looked at him with what seemed like a mix of curiosity, relief and even pity. She only said, "Welcome to Regalia," before he was whisked away to meet other bats.

Of the other bats, first he met Aurora, a beautiful golden bat, who was apparently the "bond" of the queen. Calvin had no idea what that meant, but he made a mental note to ask Vikus later. Vikus seemed to be reading his thoughts though, as he mouthed the words "I will explain to you later" to Calvin. He then met a towering hunk of a bat, Dionysus, who was the bond of the king. Then he met Andromeda, who was the bond of a general called Mareth. Calvin's mind was an absolute blur, attempting to process all the names he had heard over the past few minutes. Finally, he met Vikus' own bond, Euripides, who looked like the bat version of Vikus- kindly and friendly.

Calvin was then led to meet the rats. He met Lapblood first, who, like Ripred, eyed Calvin from head to toe, before grunting, "He's alright."

He then met Flyfur and Sixclaw again. He flushed a light shade of red at first, as he realised he got their names mixed up, but then he lost that feeling of embarrassment when he remembered what they had done for him. "Thank you," he said gratefully, "for saving Mr Bennett."

They chorused a "you're welcome!" in unison, before he parted with them.

Vikus then led him to meet the humans. "I leave the best for last," he told Calvin, "as I now introduce to you the humans of Regalia."

Calvin first met a good-looking young man, who stood above six feet, and had an air of grandeur about him. "This is King Conrad," said Vikus, "our king. King of Regalia."

Calvin didn't know why, but he found himself dropping to one knee. "Greetings, your Majesty," he mumbled, feeling overwhelmed by the occasion.

Conrad rested a hand on Calvin's shoulder. "Rise, Calvin the Overlander," he said. Calvin stumbled to his feet, bowing respectfully to the king.

Conrad smiled reassuringly. "You need not be so formal, Calvin," he told Calvin. Calvin already felt that he liked this guy. He seemed like the only friendly guy he had met so far. Apart from Vikus, of course. However, he also felt what felt like an air of caution rising in his senses. He had no idea why, though.

He then met a young, beautiful woman, who had very delicate features, and the faint line of a scar running down one side of her face. However, Calvin found himself staring into her eyes, and he was surprised by what he saw. Inside those eyes, he saw the raw emotions of pain, misery, sorrow, depression and guilt. Calvin had seen those types of eyes before. They were the sign of someone who had been broken deep inside a long time ago, and had never mended since. Calvin felt a pang of pity shoot through him as he saw the feelings that the woman was experiencing.

Vikus cleared his throat slightly. "This is Queen Luxa," he said, "wife of King Conrad. It is important to note that she is also bonded with Ripred." There was that word again. Bond. Bonded. Whatever. It seemed like a pretty big deal in the Underland. Similarly, Calvin found himself dropping to one knee.

"Thank you for accepting me into your city, Your Majesty," Calvin said. He paused for a while, but there was none. All he could hear was Ripred conversing with someone, and even then the conversation began to die down.

He waited for another momentary period of silence, before raising his head. He found Luxa staring down at him, tears welling up in her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she tried to speak, but choked up. She paused for a while. He noticed that Conrad had lost his smile, and was tensing up. "Luxa," he said forcefully, "you have to let go of … that memory. We have a guest."

Ripred and Vikus both stepped forward and lay a hand and claw respectively on her shoulders. "Luxa, his name is Calvin," Ripred said softly.

She nodded and then, calming herself down, said in a surprisingly strong voice full of authority, said to Calvin, "Welcome to the Underland and Regalia, Calvin the Overlander. It has been a long time since we have met an Overlander. I believe the last we met was your father." Vikus nodded in agreement.

Conrad seemed to relax a bit more, now, and he shot her a loving smile. "Good job, my love," Calvin caught Conrad mouthing to her. She nodded and smiled back, but Calvin knew that was a false smile only. A facade. He had seen her eyes. He knew the misery she was going through. And he didn't blame her for that fiasco-of-sorts earlier. Anyone experiencing that kind of emotional pain deserved some kind of sympathy. She had probably lost a loved one by the looks of it. And he knew what that felt like.

Vikus, seemed to read his mind once again. "Your father was a good man," he whispered to Calvin, "and know that he is greatly revered here for his honour. Hopefully, through his son, his death will not be in vain." Calvin had no response for that. He just nodded as politely as he could.

Vikus then led him to meet a smiling soldier, who had one prosthetic leg. Calvin immediately felt comfortable when meeting him. It was nice to see disabled people still smiling. Calvin respected people like that. "This is General Mareth," Vikus said, "one of our most experienced soldiers and war veterans around. As you can see, he has been through some of our toughest wars."

"I can see that," Calvin said, extending his hand to shake Mareth's, "it is my pleasure to meet you, General."

"The pleasure is all mine," came Mareth's polite reply.

Calvin took another look at the leaders and delegates of the alliance he had just met. Their differences, whether physical or character-wise, were innumerable, but they all seemed to stand united and together. And that surprisingly made Calvin feel safer and more assured. Vikus then made a quick announcement, addressed to the delegates, "Thank you all for coming here to meet the Overlander. You may return to your duties or activities." Then he turned to Calvin. "As for you Calvin the Overlander, I will be bringing you on a personal tour around Regalia. When the Chief Doctor Howard reports to me and says you can visit Mr Bennett, we will allow you to do so. As for now, follow me please."

"You'll need me," Ripred called out to Calvin, as the delegates went their separate ways.

Calvin frowned. "For the tour?" he asked.

"Vikus can be quite long-winded," Ripred explained.

Calvin shrugged saying, "I guess you can come along." As they moved to catch up with Vikus, Calvin asked Ripred, "What are we going to see?"

Ripred shot him a devilish grin in response.

"With me around, you'll see everything you need to see."

**That's Chapter 6 done. This chapter ended up being longer than I imagined. Originally, I planned to incorporate the tour of Regalia in this chapter, but that will have to wait. Sorry if my ending for this chapter is a bit dull, but I guess it'll have to do. Sigh… damn this chapter for its length in the introductions session. **

**Anyway, please remember to spend a minute to review my work. Thanks!**

**P.S. To all those reviewing, if you have any suggestions as to what to add in the tour, then please add them in! Thanks! **


	7. Chapter 7: Dark History

**Hey guys! Thanks for the support so far! For those who are enjoying the story, I'm glad you are enjoying it! For those who are not so convinced, well… I hope I can win over your support for the next few chapters. However, I would like to see reviews. For example, my heartfelt appreciation goes to Dr GamePixel for following my story, but my true happiness would come from you reviewing it! But thanks for the support anyway!**

**This chapter might turn out a little bit short, as its contents were supposed to be placed in the other chapter. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter 7!**

**Chapter 7: Dark History**

Vikus helped to hoist Calvin up Hecate, and Ripred climbed on top as well. Vikus then whistled, and Euripides came flying round, and landed next to him. Vikus then crawled on top of Euripides gingerly, settling himself into position. Ripred chuckled. "You're really getting too old, Vikus, for all this flying," Ripred joked.

"So are you, from what I've heard of your battle with the schemers," Vikus quipped back.

Both broke into laughter good-naturedly, leaving Calvin rather confused. "Ah, this is rather impolite Ripred, we have a guest in our midst," said Vikus seriously, "and we have a tour to bring him on."

With that, Euripides and Hecate shot into the air, providing Calvin with a bird's eye view of the city. Despite hanging on uncomfortably for dear life, Calvin couldn't help but widen his eyes in pure amazement of how beautiful the city was.

"Show him around the walls of the palace," said Vikus, and the bats began to circle the palace, giving him a view of the palace from all sides. "It is the ultimate last defence system in place to protect our monarchs," Vikus began, "and as you can see, only bats can land here. We do have a… lift, is that what you Overlanders call it?... system, that can haul people or objects from the ground up. This building was built under the watch of Bartholomew of Sandwich."

Vikus closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Some details are difficult to remember, but I will try my best to provide the most detailed history I can of our city," Vikus said,a little shakily, "Bartholomew of Sandwich is the founder of our city. He led a group of about eight hundred people down here, to the Underland. He was originally from England, and from what we know, he originated from Yorkshire. Furthermore, Sandwich, as we refer to him here, had a very special gift."

"BORING. Damn it, Vikus, can you do away with teaching the history lesson?"Ripred yawned, "Your city is four hundred years old. At this rate, we won't get back for dinner. And that means I'm going to miss my shrimp in cream sauce."

"Please quiet down, Ripred," Vikus said reproachfully, "this is an important part of our history as humans."

Ripred snorted indignantly and turned his head in the other direction.

"As I was saying," Vikus continued, "Sandwich had a very special gift. That was the gift of foresight. He saw the future in his dreams, and wrote prophecies based on it. These dreams haunted him for the rest of his life till his death."

Calvin instantly asked, "What are prophecies?"

"Prophecies are a bunch of words that rhyme and predict what happens next," Ripred interrupted Vikus.

Vikus shot Ripred an irritated look, before speaking again, "Yes, it is as Ripred says, albeit he put it very crudely." Calvin nodded, but his mind was an absolute mess. Less than 6 hours into his stay in Regalia, he had fallen down hundreds of metres, witnessed a giant animal deathmatch, seen Mr Bennett fall into a heart attack, and flown on giant bats. Now he was supposed to listen to Vikus give a lecture. And it was early in the morning New York time. Needless to say, Calvin was exhausted.

"Calvin? Are you alright?" Vikus asked concernedly.

Calvin shook his head to get rid of his sleepiness, before replying, "Nah, I'm fine. Please continue." Vikus beamed from ear to ear, obviously delighted with himself.

"Don't be too happy with yourself, Vikus. They boy is clearly tired. Let's go back for dinner. The boy is clearly not in a mood to listen to ancient history," Ripred spoke up.

"I am not!" Calvin shot back.

Ripred waved his claw in the air dismissively. "If you insist," Ripred said lazily.

Vikus then leaned in to whisper to Calvin. "He's just grumpy and hungry. Don't listen to him," Vikus finished with a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

"I heard that!" Ripred called out.

Calvin couldn't help but giggle slightly. He was in need of something to cheer him up, and the light-hearted banter between Ripred and Vikus tickled him slightly.

"Unfortunately, a few years ago, a fire broke out in the prophecy room. Apparently, there were a few candles lit in the room, and someone, probably a guard who entered the room, knocked over all the candles," Vikus resumed his lecture, " The fires caught onto the walls, and burnt most of the carvings on it, as well as the precious few prophecy manuscripts we had left in the room. We usually used prophecies to understand what lay in our path ahead. But now we can no longer rely on them to guide or console us."

"On the bright side, we no longer have to follow those dreary prophecies again. I bet they caused more terror than they consoled. Those prophecies were really gloomy. Could really break a heart, you know," Ripred piped up.

"Well, yes," Vikus admitted, "but nonetheless, it was a big blow for us. The last prophecy that was fulfilled was about that pessimistic rat over there."

Calvin turned to face Ripred. "There was a prophecy about you?" Calvin asked in shock.

Ripred shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Calvin turned to Vikus. "Could you recite it for me?" "Of course!" Vikus exclaimed. He took a deep breath, and began:

_ON SOFT FEET, BY NONE DETECTED,_

_DEALING DEATH, BY MOST REJECTED,_

_KILLED BY CLAW, SINCE RESURRECTED,_

_MARKED BY X, TWO LINES CONNECTED._

_FINALLY, THEY INTERSECTED,_

_TWO LINES MET, ONE UNEXPECTED._

Vikus paused for a while for an intended dramatic effect. "It is called the prophecy of the "Peacemaker"," Vikus said, smiling. Calvin stared at Ripred for a while. "You're a peacemaker?" Calvin asked incredulously.

"Apparently," came Ripred's reply.

"You were rejected by most people?"

"I'm not the most well-liked creature in Regalia. At that time, I daresay pretty much everybody didn't trust me, whether rat or human. In fact, I guess even the cockroaches and spiders still didn't trust me back then."

"You were killed but resurrected?"

"A figure of speech. A bunch of stupid people thought I was dead. So when I appeared again, it seemed like resurrection. Can't believe some balmy people could think like that."

"Marked by X? Is that in reference to your criss-crossing scars on your face? You got those scars in battle, I assume."

Now Ripred looked very uncomfortable. Guilt seemed to be written all over his face. He cleared his throat, before answering, "Yep! That's what the prophecy meant! The prophecy is really spot on, huh?"

Now Vikus stared at Ripred more closely. "Ripred," Vikus said sternly, "is there something you're hiding from us?"

Ripred shot a sheepish grin, before replying confidently, "NOPE. I am most definitely not."

Vikus eyed Ripred suspiciously, before turning his attention back on Calvin. "We will now be exploring the city more in-depth."

Following a boring explanation on how the city worked, in which Calvin nearly fell asleep on three occasions had it not been for Ripred's tail slapping the back of his head, Vikus led them to an enormous area, that appeared to be a stadium. From a bird's eye view, Calvin could see bats and human riders playing ball games down below.

Vikus then continued, "Here is where I explain to you about how the bonding system works here in Regalia. Essentially, a flier, or as Overlanders call them bat, bonds with a human. This means that they promise to do one thing: Protect each other to death. Save each other's lives. You become almost related by blood. It is a very serious relationship and breaking your oath to save each other's lives is punishable by death."

Calvin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's really harsh." "

That is why you must be extremely dedicated and must be very willing to enter such a relationship. Bonds are often very, very good friends, if not best friends," Vikus replied solemnly.

"How do you… bond with someone?" Calvin asked, his interest piqued by this matter of "bonding".

Vikus responded quickly, "That's easy to answer. You go through a simple ceremony where you say a few words to swear loyalty to each other. This must be done in front of a member of the Council. After which, depending on the human or flier bonding, there is a feast."

Calvin nodded slowly, before turning to Ripred and asking the perennial question on his mind. "Why did you bond with the queen?"

Ripred suddenly stopped looking disinterested."Rats and humans never bonded with each other, until recently. We have always been enemies, until the War of Time ended. Luxa and I were the first human-rat bonds. It was necessary in order to create peace between the humans and the rats. There is still friction between the two races, but that is all. The peace will last," Ripred said gravely.

Calvin then followed up with another question, "Do you and Queen Luxa trust each other to the death?"

At this question, Ripred smiled, before replying, "Oh yes we do. We are hardly best friends, but while she will never admit it, she will trust me to the death. I think she's closer to her other bond, however."

Vikus then cleared his throat. "I apologise for interrupting, but I would like to show Calvin something."

Ripred nodded, mumbling, "Go ahead."

Vikus leaned over to Hecate, and told her, "Bring us to your brother's cave, Hecate."

Hecate nodded slowly, and then rocketed off in a direction south of the palace. They flew for a few minutes, and soon they arrived in a small but nice-smelling cave. Vikus led Calvin and Ripred off the bats, but Calvin could have sworn he heard a muffled sob coming from Hecate.

They entered the cave, and immediately Calvin spotted a food basket on the side. It had some flowers in it, and a small card, reading: _Left in honour of the warrior, saviour of Regalia. May he rest in peace._ Calvin stared at it for a while, comprehending what had happened. The warrior… saviour of Regalia… dead now… tribute to him… "Why the food basket?" Calvin asked aloud.

"Left by his childhood love," came the weary reply from Vikus. When Calvin turned to face them, they looked a hundred years older.

"This is the story of the warrior," began Vikus, "he fell down to the Underland with his baby sister accidentally. He comes from New York City, just like you. He was almost immediately identified as the warrior, as he fitted the description of the prophecy. He then led a mission, a quest, to look for his father. He had not had a father for almost 3 years." Calvin could almost immediately sympathise with this guy. He had lost a father as well.

"He was followed by a number of current members, including the current queen herself, the queen's flier bond Aurora, Temp, and the warrior's sister. And of course, a certain gnawer." Vikus said, looking at Ripred.

"He was quite scrawny back then. Hardly looked like warrior stuff. He surprised us all. And almost nobody surprises me," Ripred said fondly.

Vikus stared at him for a while. "I rarely hear you speak of anybody with so much emotion."

"Emotion? Ha! Vikus, stop your nonsense!" Ripred retorted. Vikus let an amused smile remain on his facing, irking Ripred. "Cut it, Vikus!" he snapped at the old man.

Vikus only chuckled before continuing the story, "Needless to say, as you would have guessed by now, he succeeded in rescuing his father. He then participated in a few more quests, including a significant one, where he spared the life of what was to be his greatest enemy."

"The Bane," snarled Ripred, and for a while, Calvin could hear the contempt in his voice. "Questionable call," Ripred continued, "to spare that wretched asshole's life."

"Ripred, please don't use such words in front of guests," said Vikus, somewhat agitatedly, "you know the impression given when you use such words."

Ripred snorted, but did not reply.

"Anyway, he fought in the final battle, and slew the Bane in a war called the War of Time. His bond, Ares was killed by the Bane," finished Vikus.

Almost instantly, Calvin felt that he remembered that name. "I've heard that name before," he told Ripred and Vikus, "I know that name. Ares. Big black bat."

Vikus frowned at him. "You heard of him? That's impossible. I didn't even tell your father his name," said Vikus, seeming very confused.

Calvin shook his head. "I know, I've been trying to make sense of it too. It's almost like deja vu," he responded.

Ripred shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone experiences deja vu once in a while," said Ripred.

Vikus stared at them in confusion. "What is this… deja bu you speak of?"

Calvin giggled slightly, before clarifying, "It is the experience of having seen or felt something before even though you actually haven't."

Vikus nodded slowly. "I see," he said, even though he still sounded a bit confused.

Calvin decided to change the topic quickly. "How did the warrior die?" he asked.

Vikus was just about to answer, but Ripred cut in before him. "He killed himself," Ripred answered. Vikus shot him a look, but didn't say anything. "

Why?" Calvin asked even more inquisitively.

"He didn't want to carry on fighting in anymore wars," said Ripred, a little bit sadly.

"That's a stupid reason," muttered Calvin. He expected Ripred to come out and attack him, but the scarred rat only sighed, saying, "You have no idea what life is like down here."

Now Calvin had one last question pressing on the back of his head. "One last question," he said, hoping his questions wouldn't frustrate them, "what was his name?"

Ripred answered him again, although this time Vikus nodded in agreement. "It is an unspoken rule that nobody repeats his name again, lest it hurts those who used to know him."

Calvin couldn't help but ask another question. "Who was his childhood love?"

"You already asked your last question, and the answer to your current question is that the identity of the love is private!" snapped Ripred.

When Calvin began to protest his innocence, Ripred bared his teeth into a snarl, shutting Calvin up immediately. Vikus only rolled his eyes. "Be more gentle with the boy," he told Ripred.

Ripred stalked out, replying, "The boy is getting on my nerves."

When Calvin and Vikus emerged outside the cave, they found that Ripred had left with Hecate already. "That rat," said Vikus, shaking his head, "is quite a character."

"So… Hecate was Ares' sister?" asked Calvin, once again trying to change the topic.

"Yes," answered Vikus, "although she rarely spoke with him. Now it's time to go back to dinner. You must be famished."

Just then, Calvin's stomach rumbled, and he grinned sheepishly at Vikus. Vikus returned him a warm smile, saying, "I'll take that as a yes."

After returning to the palace, Calvin was led to the showers, where he bathed himself in all kinds of unusual soaps, shampoos, and.. weird stuff that he couldn't classify. As he immersed himself in the bath, he thought of his past few hours in Regalia. The world had changed drastically and so dramatically in the space of a few hours.

Calvin couldn't even remember what had happened that led him down into Regalia. God, how was he not crazy yet? He had lost everything… for what? He felt insanity gripping hold of him. He felt the impulse to get out of the bathtub and run around the palace naked. Suddenly, he began to hallucinate. For some weird reason, Samantha appeared next to him in the bathtub, and then Mr Carter was staring at him… and then that doctor… and then the weird-looking girl… and now the bat… he was really losing his mind…

"Snap out of it!" he snarled aloud to himself. But he didn't need to. Rationality soon resettled back into his nerves once he remembered his father's letter. He had a purpose here, and he had to fulfil it. He shook his head in frustration. He couldn't sucuumb to sudden bouts of insanity.

After he was done cleaning himself, he found a fresh pair of what must have been Underland clothes. They were soft and silky, and were made out of a material that was unfamiliar to him. As he slipped them on, he thought to himself, _Man, these guys are really backwards._

He then walked outside, an air of apprehension settling in the air around him. He was in a foreign place, after all. A guard was standing at one side, waiting patiently for him. "This way, please, Overlander," said the guard respectfully.

As they made the long walk towards the royal wing for dinner, an awkward silence fell over them. The guard attempted to ease the tension by saying, "Overlander, if I may interrupt your thoughts, I would like to inform you that I have overheard that your caretaker will be fit for visiting tomorrow, or so Doctor Howard claims."

Calvin was taken aback by the generosity of information this guard was willing to provide. "Thank you, sir," Calvin said gratefully, "may I know your name?"

The guard answered quickly but politely. "I am he called Erik, son of Albert. You may call me Erik, Overlander."

"Well, Erik, thank you for your kindness. And you may call me Calvin."

He saw Erik trying to suppress a smile. "Thank you, for your kind words, Overlander, but I think it is against our protocol to address guests by their first name. Oh, we are here."

Erik stood before a grand set of golden doors, and opening them, bowed slightly. "Welcome to the royal wing, Overlander. Have a pleasant dinner," he said to Calvin, bowing slightly.

Calvin nodded thankfully in return, before entering. Vikus stood to greet him. "Welcome to the royal wing, Calvin. We would have liked to dine in the High Hall, but it is currently under renovation. There, you would have enjoyed the view, as we have no roof. You could easily look up and admire the beauty of the Underland," Vikus said, smiling warmly.

_Not so much external beauty in the Underland outside this palace_, Calvin thought to himself, but he didn't say that aloud. Seated at the table were a couple of unfamiliar faces, but Vikus quickly led them forward to introduce Calvin to them.

The first person he met was Hazard, a boy who looked much, much different than the rest of the Underlanders. He seemed to be about Calvin's age, although Calvin appeared to be slightly taller. He had jet black, slick hair, and had the most stunning lime green eyes Calvin had ever seen. He had a friendly look about him, so Calvin decided he would like him as a friend. "Greetings, Overlander," he said, in voice that sounded like a cross between an American accent and the ancient British accents these Underlanders used.

Just as Calvin was about to question Hazard's physical differences, Vikus spoke up. "Hazard is special. He is neither Underlander nor Overlander. He is a Halflander. Born to an Underland father and an Overland mother, he is, as you can see, quite different from us."

Calvin just stared gaping at Hazard. Hazard shot him a cheeky smile in return. "Did… did… your mother teach you any of our customs?" Calvin asked, still quite in a bit of a shock.

Hazard nodded slowly, but Calvin was whisked away from him to meet someone else. She appeared to be a frail, weak, fragile woman with a creepy smile that seemed so familiar to Calvin. He couldn't help but whisper, "Nerissa." Vikus turned towards him in surprise. "You have met Nerissa?" he asked, seemingly blown away by the revelation.

Nerissa answered for him. "I communicated with him through a dream. He met me and Ares, although he probably remembers little of it," she said weakly. Vikus turned back to Calvin in surprise. "Is this true?" he asked, appearing as if he hadn't fully finished reeling from the shock. Calvin nodded, as haziness of the situation seemed to obscure the details from his memory. "I guess so, it would explain why I've heard Ares' name mentioned before," said Calvin unsteadily.

Vikus shrugged. "It matters not," he concluded, "you're here now anyway. Please, join us for dinner. However, Nerissa, I would like to speak to you about your meeting with Calvin."

Nerissa nodded in sat down a long table, with Conrad sitting at the head of it along with Luxa, and Ripred sitting on the other end.

"We get our food from our farms. You'll be surprised, but we have animal farms here as well. Sandwich remembered to bring animals such as lambs, pigs, and cows down here. We also cultivate some plants down here. Agriculture is our main source of food," Vikus explained.

"And shum fish and shrimpsh you getsh from the Fountsh," said Ripred, his mouth stuffed full of shrimp with cream sauce.

Vikus shook his head. "Ripred, we have guests. As Lord of Regalia, you should learn to mind your manners, such as not talking when your mouth is full."

Ripred shot Vikus a glare, before deciding to shut up in the end.

Dinner ended quickly without event. Vikus was generally talking about the High Hall's renovations with Conrad and Ripred. Calvin could care less. He was tired, and wanted to go to sleep. Once dinner was over, Calvin was led back to his room. He couldn't pay attention to the details of where to go. His vision was already so blurred. Once he entered his room, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep slumber.

And that was when he began to hear the voice. That same voice, haunting his dreams. But this was different. He felt this voice penetrating his very soul, his very essence. Worse of all, the line had changed.

"_Sleep , BOY. But when you wake up from your sweet dreams, know that you will have to fight me. And there is only ONE outcome for that._"

**That's Chapter 7 done! I urge all readers who read my story to please review it! As mentioned before, it spurs me forward!**

**Fly you High!**


	8. Chapter 8: The War Council

**Hi Guys! Here is Chapter 8. Thank you to all those who have reviewed my chapters including guests, 4sdvzrh, as well as XxxNennaxXRocks! Special thanks reserved for 4sdvzrh, for providing the timely suggestion to change my dialogue formatting! Thank you for your timely critique, and I've already made the necessary changes to make my story more readable. **

**To all my readers out there, I apologise for taking so long to post chapter 8, but I've been rather busy and that has hindered my progress. Rest assured I'll be posting more often from now on.**

**Finally, I hope that all those reading my story can review it, so that I may improve. Otherwise, whether you are reviewing or not, I hope you have enjoyed the series so far, and I hope even more that you continue to enjoy it. **

**Chapter 8: War Council**

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your FEAR and ANGUISH._"

"_COME OUT BOY! I CAN SMELL YOU, AND I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR AND ANGUISH!_"

"NO!" Calvin yelled, and leapt out of his bed, grabbing the flintlock pistol on the table next to him. He aimed the weapon at the shadows, but there was nobody in the room. It was just him.

Sighing deeply, he collapsed back onto the bed, wiping the sweat off his brow. As he brought his hand to his forehead, he realised it was wet as well. Looking down, he realised that his whole shirt was drenched with sweat. Frowning in disgust, he took it off, and walked over to the side of the room to change his sweaty and grimy shirt with a fresh one.

That was when he heard the sound of muffled crying.

Quickly changing into his fresh shirt, he opened the door of his room tentatively and took a quick peek sown both ends of the corridor. When he was satisfied that the sound of crying was coming from his own imagination, he quickly turned and closed the door.

And that was when he heard the faint sound of crying again. Now very sure that the noise was real, Calvin stepped out into the corridor. After listening for a while in the darkness, he identified the person crying as a female, and she was in the living room of the royal wing. Slowly tip-toeing towards the sound of the noise, Calvin consciously reminded himself to remain in the darkness. Then he rounded the corner, and still staying silently in the darkness, stared into the living room.

Sitting on the large sofa, her legs drawn all the way up to her chest, was Queen Luxa. She was making the most miserable, depressing noises Calvin had ever heard. It sounded like a cross between screaming and whining, and the sheer misery and desperation in the tone stabbed Calvin's ears. Wincing in pain from the horrible noise, Calvin felt the urge to return to his bedroom and forget the whole situation. But curiosity overpowered his sense of discomfort, and he remained there, crouching in the shadows.

After staring at Luxa for a few minutes and beginning to feel awkward, Calvin decided to return to his bedroom. He was just about to turn around and retreat to his room when he heard a second voice enter his ears.

"It's late into the night," Ripred said, entering the living room. Calvin halted his retreat and returned to eavesdropping on Luxa and Ripred in the darkness.

"Nobody says his name anymore," Calvin heard Luxa whisper, "and it hurts me, that people just choose to forget him. And when a new… a new… Overlander comes, they just get rid of the old memory… and just fill the void with a new person. I hate Vikus for that."

"Your grandfather has already taken steps to ensure that the Warrior is not forgotten. The statue still stands proudly in front of the palace," said Ripred solemnly.

Luxa laughed, with a tinge of madness in her voice. "A statue without his name. A statue without his name. I have almost forgotten it. His name, you know. I… just remember him as my love… but he had a name," she said bitterly.

"Do you remember his face?" Ripred asked, clearly attempting to change the topic.

Luxa nodded slowly. "I kept this," she said quietly, and took out a small picture from her pocket. Calvin was too far away to see it, but he saw surprise and sadness register on Ripred's face.

Ripred and Luxa kept eerily quiet for a while, as they stared at the picture, silently contemplating their history with whoever was in that picture. Calvin was surprised by the myriad of emotions that appeared on their faces. It seemed as if an unusual concoction of joy, misery, loss and triumph mixed together, and imprinted itself on the faces of Luxa and Ripred.

"After all these years, and you show it to me now?" Ripred said, clearly feigning indignance.

Luxa laughed softly. "I prefer to share my secrets with Aurora. She talks a lot less than you. You can barely control what comes out of that hideous mouth of yours."

"That's rude," Ripred grumbled, and then his expression softened once again, as he asked Luxa, "What do you think of the new Overlander?"

Calvin raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He leaned forward slightly as he listened intently to Luxa's response.

"He's weak. He can't fight, and he lacks discipline. You should have seen him at the dinner just now," said Luxa coldly. Luxa's harsh words penetrated Calvin's soul like an iron sword, and he felt himself flushing red with embarrassment. Thankfully, he was hidden from sight, so nobody could see his reaction.

Ripred took a deep sniff of the air around him, before replying, "That may be so, but I'm sure the Underland will make a man out of him," the rat said, his eyes darting over to where Calvin was hiding.

Calvin's blood froze cold. Had Ripred spotted him? And more importantly, what did he mean when he said that "the Underland will make a man out of him"? Inhaling sharply, he closed his eyes, preparing to hear Ripred call him out.

But if the scarred rat had found him, then he showed no sign of it. He turned his gaze back at Luxa. "It has been eight long years Luxa. Some time now, you will have to let go of it," Ripred said gravely.

"I will never stop dreaming of it. You may forget the times the Warrior implored me to save your life, but I will not forget the times he did," Luxa retorted angrily.

Calvin felt the tension in the room go up a few notches. "Don't you dare accuse me of forgetting the Warrior. You have no idea how grateful I am to him for giving me a new purpose in my life. And you have to stop dreaming of his return, because it's bloody impossible!" growled Ripred.

Luxa locked eyes with Ripred for a while, neither side backing down and they had the most intense stare-off Calvin had seen in his life. Then, with tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, Luxa stomped off furiously. Calvin heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like nobody had spotted him in the end. He decided to wait for Ripred to leave the living room before returning to his own room. But the rat never left.

Once Luxa had slammed the door to her room shut, Ripred spoke up. "Step out of your hiding place, boy," he said, sighing wearily, "I can smell your presence. No need to hide anymore."

Calvin kept deathly quiet. Perhaps if he didn't respond, Ripred would believe that he had made a mistake. And then Calvin would no longer be in hot soup.

"For goodness' sake boy, you can't honestly believe I can be fooled that easily, can you?" Ripred said snidely, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

Calvin just took in a deep breath, and stepped out of the shadows. A sheepish half-smile crossed Calvin's face for a second, but he decided to conceal any emotion whatsoever when dealing with this rat. He stared at Ripred and Ripred stared back at him. It appeared as if the rat was analysing Calvin, observing Calvin with great detail and pondering on what to do with him. Calvin shuddered slightly, as the awkward silence continued for a while. Finally, Calvin found the silence unbearable, and spoke up. "So…" he began.

Ripred seemed to snap out of his earlier trance. Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "How much did you hear of our conversation?" he asked.

"The whole thing," Calvin admitted, a little guiltily.

"Mmm. No wonder why I could smell another presence in the area. An unfamiliar scent. I thought I was getting old, but my nose still helps me to spot a cowardly chicken from a mile away," Ripred said mockingly.

Calvin decided to ignore the snide remark and changed the topic. "The warrior's childhood love… was the queen?" he said uncertainly.

"Was that a question, or a statement?" Ripred inquired, his eyes gleaming with pain unlike Calvin had ever seen before. This rat had endured sheer pain throughout his life, and Calvin could see it. He could also see the deadliness that had set in, the ruthlessness, even the cruelty. Never in a million years would Calvin ever want that rat to be his enemy. In the end, he didn't reply to Ripred.

Ripred stared at Calvin for a while, before continuing, "Well, I suppose it is a statement. Yes, the queen and the warrior were in love. You have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all," answered Calvin coolly, "And I should have guessed this. That was why she started to cry when she saw me, wasn't it? Because I reminded her of… him."

Ripred shrugged slightly. "Maybe. But you don't even remotely remind me of him except that both of you are Overlanders. You have sandy blonde hair, he has light brown hair. You have emerald eyes, and he has chocolate brown eyes. He is fairly tall and lanky, you are more stout and well-built."

Calvin nodded, but then asked, "How do you know what chocolate is?"

At the end of Calvin's question, Ripred smiled. "I have come up to your Overland before. In the night, of course. And I have read your books. Not only do I gain knowledge of your world, but I also gain excellent material for my teeth to gnaw on." Ripred then unfurled his razor sharp teeth, and Calvin reeled back in surprise.

Ripred laughed, but soon became serious. "You better go back to sleep, Overlander. You have a big day tomorrow. The war council is meeting you. They have many inquiries involving Overlander technology. Believe it or not, Calvin, the part you play in Regalia's future will be big. And it will be decided in the next few days."

Calvin nodded unquestioningly, and yawning slightly, headed back to his room.

"Hold on, Overlander."

Calvin stopped in his tracks and turned to face Ripred once more. The rat looked at him, almost pitifully, for a while before saying, "The future of Regalia depends on you. People will turn to the miraculous Overlander for help. You will be under heavy pressure. But so were your predecessors. Your father, the Warrior, the codebreaker. They were all under pressure to succeed. And they did. They have left a legacy, a legacy for you to fulfil. You have massive shoes to fill, Calvin. But do not crumble under the stress. Fight on, and build your own legacy. Emerge from the shadows of your predecessors. And soon you will realise you have abilities you have never known you had."

Ripred yawned at the end of his short speech. "I'm tired too. That's a small piece of advice for you. Remember it in your darkest moments. Good night, Overlander." With that, the rat sauntered back to his room to sleep.

Calvin slowly dragged his body back to his room, where he collapsed on his bed, and fell into a troubled sleep.

Calvin awoke the next morning, his head feeling incredibly heavy. Groaning aloud to himself, he heaved his body out of bed and slipped into a set of Underland clothes left on the side. He tried to remember details of last night, and suddenly a flood of images hit him. Luxa crying. Ripred consoling. Himself, hiding. Luxa, storming away. Ripred, finding him. Ripred, giving advice… what advice did he give?

Frustrated with his weak memory, Calvin yelled out loud irritatedly. A guard then peeked into the room to check on him, but Calvin ignored him. Why was his memory suffering down here? Shaking his head, he took what he needed. His pistols. A dagger. A set of mint. A notebook and a pencil. Then he met the guard outside, and was led to breakfast.

This time, Calvin was not treated to a feast as he was last night. He was led down to the canteen, where soldiers ate. Given a slice of bread, he quickly wolfed it down, before the guard quickly led him to the council room, where most of the important figures in Regalia had already gathered.

It was more of an auditorium, or a hall, rather than a room. It was massive, and had enough room to house a couple of hundred creatures, along with a thousand strong audience There was a circular platform, or stage, in the centre of the hall. The council sat at one end, and other important creatures and the rest of the audience sat at the other end. Calvin took his designated place next to Mareth, who was sitting among the important creatures.

After a few minutes of formalities between the different species, which Calvin paid absolutely no attention to, the meeting was started. An old man stepped forward, and officially opened the council, saying, "As all guests here know, our home, the Underland, is under threat from a new species from the Uncharted Lands. This new species has been classified as a group of animals known as the schemers, famous for their cunning and intellect. Daedalus, you do have some background information on their history, do you not?"

An old bat amongst the council nodded. "That is true," he began, picking up a scroll, "I have read up on the schemers. They were never originally part of this section of the Underland. However, there is reported contact between Sandwich and the schemers. The schemers' favourite prey were diggers."

Daedalus shot a nervous sidelong glance at the moles in the council, "And Sandwich was looking to exterminate them. However, they disagreed, and Sandwich vowed to destroy them after he had claimed the Underland as his own. In return, the schemers vowed to destroy Regalia some day. Ever since then, there has been no known contact between the schemers and the rest of the Underland creatures here. That was until recently." Daedalus now turned to face Ripred, who was sitting amongst the important creatures. "I believe Lord Ripred will now brief everybody present on the events over the past few weeks."

Clearing his throat, Ripred rose to his feet, and began speak. "Thank you, Daedalus. About a month back, both the a gnawer and a nibbler colony were attacked by creatures that none of us could recognise. Although most of the nibblers and the gnawers have been evacuated, the total casualty count has hit almost a hundred. Fathers, mothers, children, sons all killed," said Ripred, for dramatic effect.

He paused for a while to let his words sink in, before continuing, "Based on the invaders who were killed during the raid, we were able to identify the attackers as schemers. Often characterised by the old history books as ruthless and cunning, they took much of the land to the east of Regalia. It is a strategic position to begin a wave of attacks which will culminate the eventual siege of Regalia," Ripred said gravely.

There were murmurs of anger as the crowd began to grow restless at the mention of the massacre and a possible invasion. Ripred raised his claw and a hush fell back onto the crowd again. "The schemers have a leader. His name is Flavius. There are rumours that he is a rager, and that he commands legions upon legions of schemers. General Mareth will inform you on the recent battle we had with the schemers," Ripred concluded.

Mareth took a deep breath and stood up. "Yesterday, the Overlander now seated next to me was ambushed by schemers. It was only through the intervention of Lord Ripred's and General Perdita's forces that we were able to rescue his life. Almost 3 dozen schemers were led by their High General Brutus to ambush the Overlander. During our combat with them, we suffered no casualties and Brutus only escaped with a handful of schemers."

The murmurs of approval from the audience soon erupted into cheers. But Mareth raised his hand. "Silence, please," he called out, as he continued. "Although it seemed like a great success, our spies tell us that Flavius' army numbers between eight and ten thousand. An army full of the most cunning, ruthless creatures in the Underland."

The silence was now absolutely deafening. Mareth cleared his throat awkwardly and resumed. "Our spy tells us that the schemers have in their possession a weapon from the Overland."

A voice from the audience called out, "Who is our spy?"

For a moment, Mareth looked stumped, as he seemed to have no idea how to respond. Then, the double doors to the council room opened, and a hoarse voice called out, "I am."

Gasps immediately emerged from the audience. Standing on the stage, in the middle of the council room, was a fox.

Even Calvin was shocked beyond belief. He looked up at Mareth, but the general only nodded in confirmation. Then Ripred burst into laughter. "Come on! Surely not all of you thought our spy wasn't going to be a schemer right? Who did you think it was going to be? Heronian?"

Heronian shot Ripred a glare, replying, "Watch your tongue Lord Ripred. Or I will show you that an angry nibbler can take the tongue of a rager."

"You're welcome to try," Ripred shot back, and then the council room burst into absolute pandemonium. The gnawers started arguing with the nibblers, the humans and bats both engaged in a vivacious debate on whether they should trust the schemer, and the crawlers shook their antennae agitatedly. Even the members of the council broke out into furious discussion over the schemer. Calvin couldn't hear anything. It was an absolute cacophony of noise. Chaos reigned inside the council room.

Finally, Vikus stood up and surveyed the chaos quietly. He then shot Calvina glance and winked at him, before booming aloud, ""QUIET!"

A hush once again descended on the raucous crowd. Vikus looked at the fox, and said, "Schemer, introduce yourself to us. And tell us what you know so far."

The fox nodded gratefully, and in his hoarse and croaky voice, began to speak. "I am Murellus, Captain of the Guard to King Flavius. I am the one and only rogue soldier of the schemers."

One council member spoke up. "Why should we trust you? What is your motivation in becoming a spy for the Regalians?"

Murellus eyed her with slight disapproval, and then continued, "I understand that you do not trust me. Naturally, that is the case. But let me tell you that I do not want war, and I have personal cause against the king of the schemers, Flavius. He killed my parents when I was very young, because he saw potential in me to become a killing machine. I still hate him today for that," snarled Murellus.

Calvin felt a pang of pity shoot through him. Murellus had his parents taken away from him too. No wonder he had a personal grudge against that cruel King Flavius.

Murellus then went on. "I do not want war. If possible, I would particularly want to avoid this one. There will be much blood shed if this war goes according to plan."

Daedalus raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

"This war is a master plan, a plan long in the making. We have waited and observed for decades, waiting for the right time to strike. Through these years, we have been waiting to fulfil a centuries-old promise. To extinguish Regalia and its inhabitants. And we have now deemed it the time to strike. We never get our tactics wrong. And we will succeed, with the help of a weapon in our hands," said Murellus ominously.

Once again, a deathly silence had settled amongst the audience, as they dreaded the future of their home in the coming days and weeks. Murellus coughed slightly, and he continued in that hoarse voice of his. "There is only one way to succeed in defeating the schemers. And that is to have a quest. A quest that will lead us straight into the heart of their legion, where we can kill Flavius and destroy the weapon."

"So you are proposing a quest?" Vikus asked.

"Indeed I am," replied Murellus simply.

The council members once again began to discuss furiously amongst each other. Finally, an old man spoke up. "We have decided that there will be a quest, and by tomorrow evening, when we all meet up again, then the members of the quest will be decided. However, Murellus the schemer, would you be so kind as to tell us what the weapon is?"

"Missiles," was Murellus' curt reply.

The council member nodded, and continued to speak. "I believe we have an Overlander in our midst. Overlander, would you care to tell us what a "missile" is?"

Calvin stood up immediately and, swallowing nervously, answered, "It is a weapon that causes a massive explosion, causing mass destruction usually."

The council remained quiet for a while. Then, one council member asked a question which was probably on everybody's mind. "What if a few of these missiles hit Regalia?"

Calvin contemplated his response. Should he give the cold, harsh truth? Or should he tell a little white lie about its destructive power? In the end, he decided on the cold hard truth.

"A few missiles would reduce Regalia to nothing but dust and history."

**Well, that's that! As mentioned earlier, I HAVE edited my previous chapters in terms of dialogue, so it appears more readable and much more palatable to the eye. I hope you enjoyed my chapter, and if you can suggest any improvements, feel free to do so! To all readers, remember to review my story!**

**Fly you high!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Arena

**Hello all readers! Thank you for all the support I have received! For all those who haven;t done so, do note that I have edited my previous chapters to make them more readable. If you haven't viewed the edited chapters yet, then I suggest you do so as soon as possible? The words look less jumbled up and confusing, and that makes the reading experience slightly better!**

**Once again, thank you for all the support that has come in. If possible, do review my story! I would really appreciate that! I hope you enjoy chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: The Arena**

The whole council exploded into chatter, as the panic level in the room began to rise. Once again, the council member raised his hand, and the noises died down. "Thank you for helping us to understand the severity of the situation, Overlander. Everybody here is dismissed. The rest of the council have some serious matters to discuss," the council member closed the session quickly.

Ripred snorted. "They will spend hours blabbering over nothing," he remarked.

Sighing ever so slightly, Mareth got up and beckoned for Calvin to follow him. They walked out of the room, and Calvin noticed Ripred trailing them. After walking down numerous winding corridors, Mareth led both Calvin and Ripred into an unadorned and absolutely plain room. Calvin looked around for a while, before asking Mareth, "Why am I here?"

Mareth was straight to the point. "Ripred is without a shadow of doubt that you will go for this quest. I agree with him. The quest members will need an Overlander on this quest to identify the weapon, and you are the only Overlander physically capable of going on this quest. That means you will have to train."

"Train?" Calvin asked.

"How to fight, how to use a sword, how to survive, yes, the usual training routine?" Ripred drawled, "it's really quite boring to teach them when they're so old."

Calvin shot Ripred a glare, but decided not to reply to the old gnarly rat. Instead, he told Mareth, "Fighting and surviving aren't foreign to me. I had a teacher who used to teach me how to combat with rats, humans and foxes with a sword."

"Mr Carter? Oh, I was the one who gave him the syllabus. I told him what to teach you, so you wouldn't be such a pain in the arse once we had to teach you. You only know the fundamentals to fighting. You've barely scratched the surface. So don't think you know how to run into combat without our training," sneered Ripred.

"I can fight! I've even been taught to fight foxes!" Calvin protested.

"Oh, we all saw how brilliantly you fought against the schemers just now," Ripred said sarcastically.

"I was caught off-guard. I will do better later, you'll see," retorted Calvin.

"Oh, and by later, I guess you mean when you're fighting on a flier. Wow, I never knew Mr Carter taught you how to fight on a flier!" Ripred exclaimed in mock surprise.

Mareth then spoke up. "Calvin, I think it is best if you go for the training. It is only through training that we can truly assess your abilities. I agree with Ripred."

Calvin was filled with indignant rage. "Fine, I'll train with you guys. But not with him!" Calvin spluttered, furious with Ripred. He then stormed off, ignoring the fact that Ripred was guffawing away behind him. That arrogant rat! All he was full of was… arrogance and snideness! Calvin fumed inside, but tried to control his expression on the outside.

Mareth jogged and caught up with Calvin. Initially, Calvin felt bad for making Mareth run taking into account the fact that Mareth had a prosthetic leg. But that slight feeling of guilt subsided when he remembered that Mareth had sided with Ripred. "Back off," he growled at Mareth.

"All I was going to tell you was that training starts in the arena in an hour's time. You can get suited up there," said Mareth simply.

Calvin grunted a "Yes", and Mareth then headed out in the opposite direction. Calvin went up to his room hastily and grabbed his backpack. He swiftly made his way to the High Hall, where Hecate was waiting for him. "Hi Hecate. How've you been?"

"I have been well, Overlander. I hear you are required to attend the training session in the arena. Ripred seems intent on training you," Hecate observed with mild amusement.

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Ripred's so full of crap. How does anyone endure him? Does he even have someone he loves?"

Hecate stared forward expressionlessly. "He probably won't want me to say this," Hecate began hesitantly, "but I'll tell you anyway."

"What about Ripred?" Calvin asked inquisitively.

Hecate cleared her throat nervously, took a quick look around, before telling Calvin, "According to rumours, Ripred had a mate. He loved her very much, and they had a number of pups. But one day, while they were resting in a place called the Garden of Hesperides, a… general was sent to drive the rats out of the garden. However, the rats flatly refused to, and engaged in battle. They fought furiously, and were actually winning against the humans."

Hecate paused for a while, to take another look around, before continuing her story, "Finally, in an attempt to drive the rats out, the general resorted to a plan given to him by his mother. His plan was to open the sluice gates to flood the garden. This would force the rats to swim, where the humans could pick them off easier."

Calvin felt his stomach become a little queasy. Whatever was about to happen next didn't seem very pretty.

"The dike that controlled the water flowing out was centuries old, and when the water was released, the surrounding mortar and stone crumbled, and just like that, the dike collapsed as well. So instead of the garden being merely lightly flooded, the entire garden was filled underneath twenty feet of water. Rats, humans, fliers, all drowned in the chaos and carnage."

"That's horrible," Calvin murmured softly.

"It is, isn't it?" Hecate replied sadly, "but that wasn't even the end. The water, having flooded the garden, then entered the cave, where the rat pups were hiding. They died. All of them. It was absolutely horrible. I remember the screams and shrieks I heard that day. I was still a young bat, and that incident had a lasting impression. I will never forget those screams."

"What does this have to do with Ripred?" Calvin asked, already getting an idea on where this was going.

"To put it quite simply, his mates and pups died in the flood. He never even had a chance to say goodbye. For a while, he lost his mind and wandered the Underland, wanting to die. However, he finally decided to come back and end this constant bloodshed between humans and rats. Look where we are now. At peace, with Ripred being declared peacemaker and one of the lords of Regalia. But he was never the same after that incident. Perhaps that explains why he is such a hard person," Hecate finished her story.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually feel pity for him. I guess maybe I'll look at him differently from now on," Calvin mumbled.

"Don't ever tell him I told you that!" Hecate said fiercely to him.

Calvin raised his hands in mock surrender. "No prob, Hecate," he said, smiling.

Hecate's expression softened slightly, and then became sad. "I have lost loved ones too. My parents died when I was young, and my brother Ares has also passed away. I never had a chance to say goodbye to any of them."

Calvin decided not to tell her that he had met her brother. All he said was "I lost my parents too. I know your pain."

"Thank you, Overlander. In fact, you might understand the pain of many here. Many children your age or younger lost their parents during the last war. The War of Time," Hecate replied. She suddenly seemed alarmed. "Dear, we have totally forgotten! You need to be in the arena now! You're gonna be late!"

Calvin quickly hoisted himself onto Hecate, and she bulleted through the air towards the arena. Calvin gripped onto her fur tightly as the wind whistled past his ears. He felt as if his head was going to be blown off, as the speed Hecate was travelling. Within minutes, they reached the arena. Calvin quickly hopped off Hecate, forgetting to thank her. He rushed towards the armoury, where Mareth was waiting patiently for him.

"What colour do you like?" Mareth inquired.

Calvin pondered on that question for a while before replying, "Black. Or red."

Mareth nodded a little tentatively. "We'll see if those colours are available. Meanwhile, you should go for the physical training exercise with Erik Albertson. He is the main physical trainer. I believe you have already met him."

Calvin only replied with a slight nod, before he walked out into the arena, where a number of teenagers and younger children were gathering with Erik. Erik waved to him, and Calvin jogged forward to catch up with the group. Erik quickly introduced Calvin. "This is Calvin Oberton, the Overlander who will be staying here for a while. Calvin, welcome to our training session. We'll be jogging around the arena four or five times. Try to keep up," he said smiling.

It turned out that Erik was very fast at running, and Calvin struggled to maintain his jogging pace. His pace seemed to be average, as he was exactly in the middle of the group. Finally after a few more lung-bursting rounds, the students were then led to do push ups and situps, something which Calvin excelled in. He was very muscular, and despite that muscle weighing him down when he ran, he made up for that in the upper-body training session, as Erik looked on approvingly.

Calvin noticed a girl, about his age, looking at him. When she noticed that he was staring back at her, she looked away shyly. Calvin was used to situations similar to this one. Usually, he wouldn't care much, as many girls were always trying their hardest to get a nice, whole glimpse of him, but this felt different. It was almost as if… he wanted the girl to look at him.

Calvin shook his head in frustration. Why was he thinking like this? All these past years, it was all so easy to shut a girl out of his mind, but this one was suddenly invading his thoughts. He decided that being casual with her might defuse his feelings. He subtly scooted over to where she was doing situps. He thought of what to say to her. Something cool, perhaps? he ended up saying, "Hey."

The girl turned to face him. The earlier shyness on her face had dissipated, and was replaced with a firm, determined expression. "Hello…" she replied back stoutly.

"I'm Calvin. What's your name?" he asked, trying to sound as confident as possible.

For the girl, sounding confident seemed effortless. "My name is Hero. Why are you talking to me?"

Calvin shrugged. "I guess I'm trying to make friends," he said.

"And you started with me?" the girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

Calvin flushed bright red. No girl had ever spoken to him like didn't know why he was suddenly getting so embarrassed, but he tried to maintain his composure. "Hey, you were the one who started staring at me," Calvin replied cleverly.

Now it was Hero's turn to flush bright red. And boy when these people blushed, it was incredibly obvious! As her veins were clearly visible, so was the blood rushing to her face. Within seconds, a number of boys and girls were staring at her. A couple of boys stood out. One seemed to have some kind of resemblance to her. In fact, he seemed like the masculine version of Hero. The other was a boy about Calvin's age. He was fairly good-looking and was relatively muscular himself. They both eyed him extremely suspiciously. In the end, they turned around.

Hero sighed exasperatedly. "You see? Now Kent and Harold are going to come after me."

"Who's Kent and Harold?"

"Kent's my twin brother. He's really protective over me. And Harold's my boyfriend. I am courting him at the moment."

Calvin only heard the last part. For some reason he couldn't comprehend, he felt disappointed. He attempted to keep the disappointment out of his voice when he replied, "Ah I see. He appears to be a good choice. Handsome, muscular…."

Hero stared at him, clearly perplexed. Then, a knowing look was written all over her face. That look seemed to be one of desire. "Are you jealous of him?" she asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"No, not at all! I never even suggested that!" Calvin replied defensively. He then smiled nervously at her, trying to appear as casual a possible.

Hero was just about to reply, but then Mareth called Calvin over. Mareth quickly updated Calvin. "We no longer have red or black armour. It's been bought by some nobles. You will have to wear the standard silver armour. Are you alright with that, Overlander?"

Frankly, the colour of his armour was not on Calvin's mind. Hero's face kept replaying over and over again in his mind.

"Overlander, are you alright?" Mareth asked concernedly.

Calvin snapped out of his daze quickly, and shook his head to indicate he was alright. Looking far from satisfied with the answer, he asked once more, "Are you alright, Overlander?"

Calvin pushed the image of Hero out of his thoughts, and shook his head firmly once more. Mareth didn't look convinced, but went on to tell Calvin, "Alright, I will suit you up. Pay attention when I am doing so so you know how to put your own armour on next time. After this, you will follow me over to one corner of the arena where you will train with Ripred. Lapblood will join you later as well."

Calvin nodded wordlessly. He needed to concentrate now, and put on a good show for Ripred. And Mareth. And Lapblood. And maybe Hero. Probably Hero. He felt pressure beginning to mount on him. Many eyes would be trained on him and his skill in fighting. Calvin had been in the limelight before, as the son of Richard Oberton. But that was different. Back home, all they wanted to do was to snap a few shots of him. Here, they wanted to test him.

Calvin jogged over to meet Ripred, who was rolling on the sandy ground sluggishly. Calvin noticed audience members, common folk, streaming into the arena, probably to catch a glimpse of him. As expected, most of them began to clump in the section of the stands which overlooked the corner where Calvin was going to fight. Even the other students and Erik stopped training to have a look.

There was a loud swishing noise, and Hecate landed on the ground next to Calvin. She seemed pretty nervous as well. "I have never had so many people watch me in front of a large crowd in my life," she murmured.

Calvin decided to be direct. "Why are you following me?"

"Because I am your flier guide. I have been designated by Lord Ripred to look after you. It can really hurt my reputation to look after you," she said, chuckling, but Calvin could hear the strain in her voice.

"Do you have a bond?" he asked her.

Nope," she replied, "but Ripred believes I should bond with you."

He glanced over at her again to see if she was laughing, but she wasn't. "Are you serious? I don't quite think we have reached that stage yet."

"Neither do I," Hecate admitted, "but we'll see how things unfold."

They then walked over to Ripred, who pounced to his feet at the sight of Calvin. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed, "the mighty Overlander is here. Let's put on a show for your adoring audience, shall we? Are you excited?"

"No," replied Calvin glumly.

"Excellent! Let's test your strength with the sword first. Mareth, roll in the cannons!" Ripred barked out.

Three cannons were rolled into sight and pointed straight at Calvin.

"I thought you were going to test my skill with the sword, and not how to fire a cannon" said Calvin, attempting to incorporate some sarcasm into his conversations with Ripred.

"Of course you are, Overlander! The cannons will be shooting at you! Operating them is far too easy," replied Ripred.

"What?" Calvin asked incredulously, with the thought of sarcasm the furthest thing away from his mind.

"Of course! But you won't die. We don't want to kill our beloved Overlander so quickly. Each cannon will fire five blood balls at you. You must try to hit a many of them as possible. Sounds simple? Great, then let's start!" Ripred said cheerily.

Calvin scowled at Ripred, before turning to face the cannons. He was aware of Harold and Hero staring intensely at him, but he ignored it. He just focussed on the cannons. Without warning, they opened fire at him. He pivoted his body and began to swing his swords. He knew he missed some of them, but he just continued to swing. He watched every shot closely and adjusted his blade to hit the balls.

After less than fifteen seconds, the cannons stopped firing. At the bottom of his feet was ten shells oozing blood, and another five lying unharmed at one side.

The crowd broke out into a loud applause. Huge smiles were plastered on Erik and Hero's faces, and Mareth nodded encouragingly at Calvin. Even Ripred looked slightly impressed. However, a voice growled behind him, "The other one hit the total on his first try. Why such a big deal about this one?"

Calvin turned around to see Lapblood stalking towards him. She stared at him for a while, before moving over to where Ripred was standing. Ripred only chuckled in response, "Don't be so rude, Lapblood. The other one was a rager. This guy is a weasel with little experience in actual swordfighting. Hitting ten balls is really not bad. You just miss the other Overlander."

Lapblood hissed at Ripred angrily, but didn't say anything. Ripred turned his attention back on Calvin. " Time to mount up on your flier," he said, grinning away, "we're going to test your skills in the air."

Calvin then got back onto Hecate and she took off into the air. She flew around for a while to warm her wings up, before hovering next to Ripred. "Can you do any tricks with the boy?" he asked Hecate.

She shook her head fervently. "No. Please don't make us try any. It will end up looking horrible for Calvin."

Ripred seemed to contemplate that thought for a while. Finally, he said, "Test the Overlander's ability to fight on a flier. Fly him down towards one of the dummies, and see if he can take its head off. Remember to pull away as fast as possible after contact has been made. The usual hit-and-run strategy."

Hecate nodded and took off, circling around the area where the dummies were situated. Then, after a few seconds, she shot down towards one of them isolated along the side.

Calvin shifted the blade over to his right side, and lifted it slightly, getting ready to swing at the head. However, the attack ended catastrophically. Not used to fighting on the bat, Calvin swung too early, making him lose momentum and balance. At the same time, Hecate began to pull up, in order to move away. In the end, Calvin lost his grip on Hecate, and he slid off her, landing painfully on his buttocks on the sandy ground of the arena.

He saw the crowd all wincing from the embarrassment of the whole attack sequence. Some members of the audience attempted to encourage him by clapping, but that only made him feel even worse. Even Mareth turned away from the humiliating sight. He noticed a huge smile plastered on Harold's face now instead of Hero's, and Erik looked at him pitifully. Calvin grimaced not just from the pain, but also from the embarrassment.

Eventually, Mareth stepped forward and hauled Calvin back onto his feet. "Are you hurt, Overlander?" he asked.

Calvin groaned slightly and stretched his back, but said, "Nah, I'm fine. The only thing that was hurt was my pride."

Mareth laughed slightly at the response, and then tried to cover up his laugh by coughing. Then, Hecate glided down gracefully, although her voice sounded flustered when she apologised to Calvin, "Sorry for hurting you. It's my fault."

"Nah it's fine," he said, once again trying to sound casual, "let's move on, shall we?" Hecate nodded anxiously in response, and followed him over to where Ripred was waiting, with a massive smirk written all over his face.

"Looks like you do need training, after all," mused Ripred. Calvin only shrugged. There was no point denying what Ripred said. He hadn't gone any further towards proving that he didn't need training.

Ripred gestured at Lapblood, who advanced towards Calvin. "Let's see how you fare in actual combat, Oberton," was all Ripred said. Calvin's sword was then taken from him by Mareth and was replaced with a wooden one.

Lapblood didn't bother wasting any time with words, threats or insults. Without any prior warning, she hurled herself at Calvin viciously. Calvin ducked underneath the jump, and quickly whirled around to face her again. Now, Mr carter's teachings were swirling back into his mind, but it was in a confused, jumbled mess. Calvin would have to rely on instinct and muscle memory from some lessons.

Lapblood slashed at him twice, and Calvin blocked both attacks with his weapon, retreating quickly. He then fended off a string of claw attacks from Lapblood, each time just about preventing Lapblood from hitting him. Lapblood then came within inches of taking his eye out, but Calvin rolled out of the way just in time. "Hey!" he snapped at her, "watch where you're slashing!"

Lapblood ignored his words and attacked again, but Calvin was prepared. He sidestepped her easily and swung his wooden blade. However, Lapblood evaded the strike and rolled back onto her feet.

Calvin then decided to launch an attack at Lapblood. He attempted to feint towards her left side and attack her right shoulder. But Lapblood was evidently used to this, because she had not trouble blocking it with her claws. Calvin then tried to use a double feint to surprise her, but once again, she was equal to it.

Lapblood then retreated backwards, panting away. She was clearly very old, and very tired, and Calvin knew he was going to use that against her. If there was any time she was vulnerable, it was now.

He then attempted to attack her, just to bait her into chasing after him. His ploy was to tire her out, until she made more mistakes. Calvin caught a glimpse of Ripred whispering something to Hecate, and before he had time to wonder what they were saying, Lapblood was attacking again with her claws and teeth.

Suddenly, Calvin heard a voice behind him. "Overlander, jump."

Instinctively, Calvin leapt into the air, and Hecate slotted herself under him, and he wrapped his legs tightly around her. As they hovered in the air for a while, Hecate told him, "Watch her movements carefully and stay alert. I'm going to attack from above again. This time, be prepared."

"Sure," replied Calvin, and Hecate began to nosedive towards Lapblood. However, instead of waiting for them to attack her, Lapblood shot up into the air, unfurling her claws. Calvin barely had enough time to change the position of his sword to block the strike. As HEcate swered out of the way as well, Calvin said to her, "Drop me off. I can handle this."

Nodding obediently, Hecate flew lower, and Calvin leapt off her onto his two feet. He barely had any time to feel good about himself before Lapblood attacked. He just twisted out of the way once more, before falling back slightly. He observed her movement, and adjusted his body once more. As she ran at him, he imagined her attacking and planned out his solution of stopping her.

For the umpteenth time, Lapblood hurled herself at Calvin. But Calvin was prepared this time. He ducked underneath her attack, and spinning around to face her, planted a kick on her jaw. Lapblood was sent sprawling across the ground, and Calvin jogged forward, placing his weapon at her throat. "I win," he said, grinning away. The crowd then erupted into cheers and whistles for him.

However, Lapblood wasn't done yet. Swinging her tail round, she wrapped it around his right leg and yanked him off his feet. Calvin landed heavily on his back, and Lapblood pounced on him. The cheers from the crowd died down immediately. "I win," she growled at him. But a few seconds later, she couldn't resist a wry smile crossing her face. "Not bad, Overlander," she said approvingly.

Ripred sauntered over to where Calvin was lying. He was just about to open his mouth and speak when horns began to blow. The audience started to scream and panic, and a frantic messenger came charging towards Ripred.

"Lord Ripred, the schemers have begun a siege on Regalia!"

**That's it from me today! Remember to review if you can, this has been my longest chapter so far I think. Sorry if the ending appears a bit rushed. I was really pushing to send this chapter out as fast as possible.**

**Fly you High!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Siege of Regalia

**Hi Guys! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 9. As this is my 10th Chapter, I'll be doing a bit of a reflection on the past few weeks writing this story.**

**Updating this story will become more difficult for me as we move into the New Year. It'll become an uphill battle, but I don't intend to give up. As Christmas draws nearer, I might write a Christmas special, but I'm honestly not really sure.**

**There are many times when I feel like stopping, but I've strived on. Because deep down, I actually enjoy writing this story. No matter how dark my life may be over these past weeks, I have resorted to using writing to alleviate the suffering I have faced.**

**To be completely frank with you guys, the amount of support through reviews I have gotten is not what I imagined it should be. But there are good people out in this world whose support has kept me going. People like Gregortheunderlander1918, 4sdvzrh, XxxNennaxXRocks, DrGamePixel and Witwickety. Ideally I would like more people to review my story, but hey, I'm just glad and grateful that you guys have helped to review my work.**

**My story has taken me by surprise. I had an idea where my story was going at first, but it has now veered totally off course. So it will be a bumpy ride from here on, but we'll see how things go. I'm positive it will turn out well.**

**As per usual, although I sound like a pushy, broken recorder, I urge those who have the time to review my story. A journey of a thousand chapters begins with one review(not that I would really write a thousand chapters)**

**Hope you enjoy Chapter 10!**

**Chapter 10: The Siege of Regalia**

Ripred cursed away furiously, and climbed on top of Hecate. "Overlander, follow me! Hecate, bring us to the damn wall! Mareth, lead every guard possible to the walls. Summon every creature that can fight to defend the city!" Ripred roared.

Calvin leapt onto Hecate, and she shot through the air faster than Calvin had ever experienced. All over the city was uncontrolled panic and pandemonium. It was as if hell was unleashed over the citizens. Many were fleeing to the palace, grabbing their children and valuables. Calvin noticed many soldiers, whether human, or otherwise, riding on bats headed towards the defence wall. "How the hell did the schemers get here so fast?" Ripred muttered.

Rats and mice quickly scuttled up the steps towards the wall. Even cockroaches and spiders had joined the growing army standing in defence of the city. Within a minute, Hecate landed at the wall, and so did a flurry of bats. Ripred didn't waste any time. He walked up to the nearest guard at the wall and snapped at him, "Give me an update!"

"The schemers just appeared about a few hundred metres from our wall a few minutes ago, Lord Ripred. They seem to be carrying hostages, and have placed a number of remains at our front gate," the guard replied emotionlessly.

Ripred looked over the wall and jerked backwards in surprise. "Oh no," he breathed.

The entire plain in front of Regalia was littered with corpses. Mutilated rat and mouse bodies were clumped to one side. On the other side lay the largest mass of bodies Calvin had ever seen in his life. It was a mountain of antennae, mandibles, and legs. Calvin's stomach flipped at the sight of it. "They extinguished the cutters," said Ripred bleakly, "they killed all of them. Warn the King of this sight immediately."

Suddenly, a hammering noise came from the double doors. "It's a gnawer, Lord Ripred!" a guard called out, "he's calling for us to let him in!"

Ripred analysed the distance between the foxes and Regalia, before replying, "Let him in."

The double doors were heaved open, and a bedraggled rat stumbled into the city. His fur was matted with blood, and his incisors were broken. He was dragging one of his hind legs, which was twisted in an awkward angle, and he had lost one eye. However, Ripred seemed to recognise the rat immediately. He scampered over to the rat, who collapsed onto the ground. Calvin followed quickly to find out what was happening.

"Clawsin, what happened?" Ripred asked, as he furiously gestured for medical staff to come forward.

"Lord Ripred... the schemers… they killed all the cutters… the cutters are now ext… extinct… they took us bu sur… sur… surprise… they didn't kill… kill all of us… many hostages… many dead… my mate… my pups…" Clawsin said, gasping for breath.

"How many of them, Clawsin? How many schemers are there?" Ripred pressed.

"Easily over ten thousand… twice the size of the army we were led to believe they had… they will kill hostages everyday if we don't surrender… they will… kill us all… the race of gnawers will be gone… Lord Ripred," he wheezed out, before sinking into unconsciousness.

As medical staff carried Clawsin away, Ripred was quiet for a while. Finally he turned tail and headed back towards the battlements, where Conrad and Mareth were waiting. "The most gruesome sight in my tenure as king," said Conrad simply, as Calvin and Ripred approached them.

"Not that I was particularly fond of the cutters, but… that is just brutal. Absolutely brutal," Ripred said, eyeing the plains once more.

Mareth nodded in agreement, but didn't add anything further to the conversation. They all stared at the scene quietly, before Conrad spoke up, "What are we going to do?"

"What's your plan?" Ripred asked Conrad.

Conrad shook his head, saying, "I have none as of now, general. But perhaps they do," he said pointing at the flag of truce the schemers were holding up.

Ripred stared at it for a while, before grunting, "Mareth, you flank me and bring your two best guards along. Overlander, follow me as well."

Calvin was going to ask why, but decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was to agitate an already agitated Ripred. Mareth quickly gathered two guards, and the five of them headed towards the middle of the plain, where Brutus was waiting with another four foxes of his own. Brutus gazed at them with amusement written all over his face. However, when he saw Calvin, he shot him an icy smile instead.

"Where's your cowardly King Flavius? Tell him that if he has any guts, he should come out now and duel me to the death. Rager on rager," Ripred spat at Brutus.

Brutus sighed, and with a tinge of sarcasm, said, "Oh dear. And here I was expecting to exchange pleasantries."

"There are no pleasantries when you and your lily-livered King hold claws over the gnawers' throats," Ripred replied frostily.

"Oh, you have no need to be so dramatic, Lord Ripred. We only have a couple of thousand gnawers, and not the whole population. Throw in another couple of thousand crawlers and nibblers combined. We only kill about ten hostages a day, meaning that at the end of about a year then we would have run out of our supply. And I highly doubt your kingdom can resist our siege for a year," responded Brutus.

"Where is Flavius? I want to meet the king of the pathetic, weak-minded schemers," snarled Ripred.

"Do you think we are so weak? You arrogant fool, we have decimated the gnawer, nibbler and crawler populations outside of Regalia. We have single-handedly exterminated the cutter species. We threaten the very existence of the greatest city in the Underland. We have a weapon of mass destruction almost fully prepared to attack you. And you think us weak? What do YOU think Overlander?" he said, grinning at Calvin.

"I think I want to slice your throat, and carve your heart out with my blade," replied Calvin calmly.

"Feisty, like his father. I wonder where his father is. Oh yes, I remember, your father is dead. Killed for trying to save a city that is about to be destroyed right now. Your father died a pathetic death for a pathetic city," Brutus mocked Calvin.

Calvin felt himself simmering with anger. He reached for the hilt of his blade, but a firm hand gripped his arm. "Don't give in to provocation, Overlander," Mareth told Calvin. Eventually, Calvin slowly but surely let go of his sword.

"Easily baited I see," Brutus observed. He then stretched nonchalantly and returned his attention back to Ripred.

"Here's the deal, Lord Ripred," Brutus began, "You can choose to cower behind your battlements for a week, while we starve your population and attack your sentries once in a while during this period of time. By the end of the week, we have our weapon fully automated and we obliterate your city to rubble and dust. The other alternative is that you can surrender your city to us now, while we proceed to capture your citizens but keep them alive. This ensures the natural progression of this situation with minimal casualties. Our plan continues smoothly without a hitch, your citizens don't die. Which alternative sounds more enticing to you?"

Ripred bared his teeth into a vicious snarl. "The alternative where I get to tear your throat-"

But Mareth interrupted Ripred before he could speak any further. "We cannot make this decision here and now. It is the king and the council that makes this decision. Give us two days to discuss and deliberate, and at the end of the two days we promise we will return with our answer."

Brutus seemed to consider the request. Meanwhile, Calvin saw Ripred shoot a slight glare at Mareth, but Mareth seemed to have nerves of steel, as he totally ignored Ripred. Finally, Brutus answered, "Alright. You have two days. But we know of your quest. If your quest members attempt to leave during these days, we will attack immediately. And we will spare you from any form of mercy. Remember, you have two days." With that final warning, Brutus stalked off with the other foxes.

Mareth and Ripred both turned around and walked back to the city, a puzzled expression on their faces. "How does he know of the quest?" asked Ripred, who seemed absolutely shell-shocked.

"I have no clue," replied Mareth, "but we need to call an emergency meeting as soon as possible."

"Knowing the queen and the Council, they have already arranged a meeting to name the members of the quest. I presume they plan to take our best fighters, and the Overlander," Ripred snorted, casting a sidelong glance at Calvin.

"There is also the issue of the schemers knowing of our quest," Mareth reminded Ripred.

A sudden realisation seemed to dawn on the rat. "We have a spy within our ranks," said Ripred quietly.

Mareth seemed taken aback, but then replied weakly, "Murellus. I thought we could trust him."

"We need to kill him immediately," Ripred said simply.

They were quickly granted entry into the city and were about to board their respective fliers to head back to the palace when a guard yelled out, "General Mareth! Lord Ripred! You will want to see this!"

Ripred, Calvin and Mareth quickly made their way to the battlements, where they saw the foxes hauling half a dozen rats forward. They placed the rats next to the corpses of their friends. Ripred inhaled sharply at the sight. "They're going to be executed in front of us," he whispered.

Brutus rested his icy gaze on Ripred and smiled. He then slit the throat of the rat he was holding on to. The rat began to gurgle and choke on his own blood. The process was taking rather long, and Calvin could hear the tension on the wall beginning to heighten. Finally, the rat was killed and his body was tossed amongst his brethren.

Brutus waved his paw in the air and the other foxes ruthlessly tore the throats of the rat hostages out using their teeth. Calvin noticed some of the rats on the wall stiffening, and he even heard a rat on the wall howling out, "Deadeye! My son!" The heart-wrenching sob of that rat on the wall strung a myriad of feelings in Calvin's heart. Pity for the rat, hate for the foxes, and a sheer will to kill Brutus.

"I will kill them all," Ripred said darkly, "I will leave their corpses rotting out for the whole of the Underland to see."

"I'm sorry for the loss of your people, Ripred," Mareth said consolingly, "but we have to go now."

Ripred quickly turned to leave, but not before barking an order out, "If any schemer comes within shooting range of our walls, slay them immediately." With that, he climbed onto Hecate, and Calvin clambered up as well. Hecate began the quiet flight towards the palace.

When they landed, Ripred bounded straight for the Council room, and Calvin had to sprint to keep up with him. Ripred burst through the door, just to find Murellus standing on the centre stage, talking to the council. Without second thought, Ripred slammed his full weight into Murellus and pinned him against the wall. "Any last words, you ugly, low-life backstabber?" Ripred hissed in fury at Murellus, as he wrapped his claws around the fox's neck, strangling him.

"L-Lor-Lord… Rip-Ripred… what… have I done?" Murellus choked out as he suffocated. By now, all those assembled had exploded in a mix of confusion and shock welded together.

"Ripred, what in Sandwich are you doing? Let go of the schemer!" one council member called out. However, Ripred only tightened his grip on Murellus' neck. Murellus' body was beginning to go slack.

"Ripred, what is this madness! Let go of Murellus! We need him!" roared Conrad. Ripred paid no heed to his words and continued to strangle Murellus. Murellus looked like he was going to pass out any second.

"Guards, bring Lord Ripred down!" yelled Conrad, but Mareth raised his hand. "Stand down," he told the guards firmly. In the end, the guards were left confused and a half-hearted attempt to attack Ripred was defeated when the rat swept the guard aside with his tail.

Conrad and Mareth then began to argue with each other, and Vikus then jumped into the argument, reprimanding them both, as angry voices began to dominate the noise in the room. Ripred locked eyes with Murellus, who was now thrashing furiously, and Calvin saw him whisper to the schemer, "Die, wretch."

In the midst of all this chaos, one woman stood up and said, "Ripred, let him go."

Ripred's grip on the schemer slackened, and Murellus dropped to the ground with a yelp of pain, before the schemer passed out. The whole council then turned to face Luxa, who had ordered Ripred to stand down. "Gnawers are dying out there, Luxa," Ripred said, shaking with fury, "gnawers I promised to protect. Gnawers that are being brutally slaughtered because this schemer has been feeding us wrong information about the schemer armies and has been feeding them our plans. They know of our quest Luxa, and if it goes ahead, then they will extinguish the race of gnawers. You saw what they did to the cutters. I knew I was wrong to trust this miserable piece of trash. But I'm going to right my wrong," he said, eyes ablaze with sheer hate and anger. He turned back onto the unconscious Murellus, and reared back to sink his fangs into the fox.

"Ripred," Luxa said sharply, "leave the schemer alone. If he has done wrong, he will go through a trial, as is our customs."

Ripred spun around to face Luxa. "You do not command me, O Mighty and Gracious Queen Luxa. Not when I have gnawer parents losing their pups, not when gnawers are losing their mates, not when gnawers are losing their brothers and sisters and friends, and most certainly not when this wretch behind me has caused it."

Luxa's expression softened slightly in pity, but then hardened again. "The schemer is innocent, Lord Ripred. We have had him under secure watch throughout his stay in Regalia. There communicated with the other schemers. You have no evidence, and are merely attacking him out of anger and fear for your people's safety. For that I pardon your actions," Luxa stated firmly.

"Are you blind, Luxa? They know of the quest. They KNOW of it. They attacked with an army twice the size of one we believed they had. They know we haven't expected an attack, and have ravaged countless populations across the Underland. Who knows, they may have even taken the Fount. Susannah and York are staying there. Your uncles and aunts. Think of them! Their lives are in jeopardy if we trust this bloody schemer," Ripred snarled, as Murellus began to stir behind him.

Luxa was quiet for a while. Finally, she said, "I am not convinced he is a traitor. Remember Ripred, you were in the same position as Murellus once. Helping your sworn enemies," Luxa reminded Ripred.

Ripred gnashed his teeth furiously. "Of course you wouldn't believe me. And what can I say? You are as stubborn as a mule, Vikus and Conrad are weak at heart, and the council is full of rotten old nutheads,. Try fighting a war without me, Queen Luxa," he spat bitterly, and he stormed out of the council room.

"That went well," Murellus growled in that croaky voice of his, as he rubbed his throat.

"Silence, schemer. We are going to announce the members of the quest," said Luxa sternly. Murellus duly closed his mouth.

"First and foremost, we have established that we need an Overlander on this trip. As the only healthy Overlander left in the city, Calvin Oberton will go," Luxa announced. Calvin nodded in response.

"Next, we have chosen a number of the best warriors in Regalia and a number of delegates to go. The humans are Erik Albertson, Arthur McDouglas, Hadrian Kelt, Edward Blane, Alfred Daggard and Donegan Kallahan."

"The gnawers are Lapblood, Flickmeat, Flyfur, Sixclaw and Gnasher."

"The fliers are Queen Nike, Hecate, Demeter, Icarus, Perseus, Ariadne, Oedipus and Agamemnon."

"The nibblers are Cypher, Gradient, Apex and Vector."

"Temp will follow as a representative of the cockroaches, and Murellus will act as the guide for the quest."

Species by species Luxa announced the best fighters who would be going on the perilous mission to kill Flavius and destroy the missiles. Finally she announced, "The leader for this mission will be Lapblood, who is the most senior member of the mission. This position was originally intended for Ripred, but he will not be joining the quest."

Calvin looked up in surprise. "Are you deliberately banning Ripred from participating on this mission with us?"

Luxa regarded Calvin coldly. "Ripred must learn that his insolence and defiance will not be tolerated in a crisis such as this," she confirmed.

"That's ridiculous! He is Regalia's best fighter! We need him on that mission more than ever! Sure, he was mildly rude to you a few minutes ago. He was just concerned for the well-being of his people. As a leader of your people, would you not care for the well-being of your own people?" Calvin blustered.

"Do not question the care I have for my people," Luxa replied frostily.

"I don't. I question your rationale behind firing Ripred from a position where Regalia can benefit. I know you have a good side, Luxa. You don't have to act firm on the outside. Are you really going to ban Ripred from helping us because he acted impulsively and out of anger because his people were dying?" Calvin said patiently.

Some members of the audience began to cough and pretended to look away. Calvin had a feeling that they were not used to seeing their queen questioned so much."You heard Ripred yourself, Overlander. He walked away from his position. He demanded to see how we take the fight to the schemers without him. And we will prove that we can fight a war without our best fighter. Because till today, Regalia has not, and never will be, solely dependent on a single fighter. And don't use my occasional bouts of emotion as a form of weakness, Overlander. Exploit my 'soft side' one more time, and you will live to regret it," Luxa threatened.

This time, Calvin restrained himself from lashing out at the stupidity of Luxa. He could not afford to be on the bad side of Luxa. Seeing how angering her could sway her opinion so wildly, Calvin decided to shut up.

Just as Luxa was about to dismiss them, Nerissa came running forward to the stage. "Halt all the proceedings!" she called out, evidently struggling to strain her voice so that the whole council room could hear her. Luxa raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, cousin?" she asked, visibly annoyed.

"I have had a dream," Nerissa murmured, as if in a trance, "that the mission will fail unless we enlist the help of a certain girl."

Nerissa cleared her throat.

"That girl's name is Hero, daughter of York. Our cousin, Luxa."

**Well, that's that for me. I won't be writing a Christmas special, because I'm going to spend more time with my family. They are an important driving force behind my life so far, after all. **

**Christmas is a time of togetherness, and happiness, and most of all, hope. I hope that all my readers be like Vikus, and treasure hope greatly, because that is, and always will be, a focal point of our existence. And there is no better time to celebrate that than during Christmas, the season of hope. Whether you are experiencing bad times or not, I hope this Christmas season inspires you to enjoy and treasure your time on earth.**

**With that, I would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!**


	11. Chapter 11: Escape Plan

**Hello readers! I hope you have had an awesome Christmas so far! Thank you for all the reviews that have come in, especially from 4sdzvrh! Your reviews have provided constructive feedback that has been extremely useful, and I cannot find the words to express to you how grateful I am to you for that. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and I will be working to include more plot twists and action sequences involving Calvin in the story. I have taken into account some improvements you have suggested, and rest assured that I will be working on combining my own ideas with them.**

**As for haha77, and other readers awaiting the appearance of Gregor, I am sorry, because he will not feature in this story. However, I have already planned to write a sequel, and he will feature very prominently in it. That being said, I encourage you all to continue reading this story, as this story will play a pivotal role in how the second story involving Gregor turns out. But once again, special thanks to haha77 for reviewing my story.**

**Once again, I wish all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!**

**Chapter 11: Escape Plan**

Calvin felt his stomach do a little somersault. Hero? Why Hero? His feelings for her seemed complicated, and now she was coming along? He honestly didn't know whether to feel excited or upset or alarmed or delighted or... Calvin could not control his mind from whirling with all kinds of confusing thoughts about Hero.

He saw Hero emerge from the crowd, looking genuinely frightened. She gulped slightly, before turning to Luxa, who still seemed to be in a state of shock. Nerissa only smiled placidly at hero, and didn't say anything further. A member of the audience suddenly yelled out, "This is ludicrous! She is merely a young girl! How can we subject her to such a mission? And she isn't even one of our best fighters!"

"I know that. But I have seen the fate of this quest. And it is doomed for failure if she does not join it. I cannot even begin to explain how important she is to the quest. Without her, Regalia loses hope of survival. I understand your doubts, but I call on all who are assembled here to trust me," Nerissa replied diplomatically.

"There are already many members of this quest. If we include her, there will be a strain on all other fighters of this quest to protect her," another woman pointed out.

"I understand that. Yet none of us here, including me, can even begin to fathom how crucial she is to the quest. From what I can see, if we need to reduce numbers, I would rather take a number of fighters out of this quest for Hero," Nerissa responded, seeming adamant in pushing Hero into the quest.

Finally, Luxa recovered from her earlier state of shock, and quickly spoke up, "I am not one who believes visions so easily, but seeing as how convinced Nerissa is of the need for Hero's presence, then I agree to add her in. That is, unless Hero herself objects to it. Hero, do you agree to become part of this quest?"

Once again, butterflies began to flit in Calvin's stomach. Would she say yes? Why would it matter to him? Calvin swallowed nervously as he awaited her response. Hero looked down on the ground for a while. When she looked up again, tears seemed to glisten in her eyes. "Will I come out of it alive?" she asked Nerissa.

Nerissa shrugged. "My dream did not show me your fate in the end."

"Do you know how I play my role in the quest's success?" Hero pressed.

"Yes, child, although I feel that if I reveal it now, your purpose will instantly become undermined and the quest will fail," Nerissa answered, although she seemed to be staring at Calvin while she said that.

Hero took another while to look at the ground. Finally she raised her voice above the noisy chatter of the crowd and said, "I will go on the quest!"

Calvin felt his heart leap for a second. It seemed almost as if he felt… pleased, that she was coming. He shook his head again to clear his mind from those unusual feelings. His entire head was shrouded with thoughts of her.

A hush descended on the crowd. An air of pity seemed to develop around Calvin, and he noticed people staring at her sadly, even pitifully. "So be it," Luxa replied stoutly, "the meeting is adjourned here. The quest members may take a short break, but I would like to meet all here again two hours from now."

Suddenly, a boy sprang forward from the crowd and proclaimed, "If Hero is going on this quest, then so shall I!"

Calvin squinted, and on closer inspection, realised it was Harold. He couldn't help but feel fresh feelings of anger towards Harold, and could even say he despised Harold. And yet Harold had done nothing to him. Calvin's head was a wreck at the moment. He couldn't even understand why he felt so strongly for Hero and against Harold. He wasn't used to these feelings. And he had no intention of letting them remain. They were a big distraction.

"I am courting her. I need to protect her!" Harold demanded.

"I believe we speak on the behalf of the council when I say that we have never allowed a member to join a quest out of love, especially when the love is at such a young age," replied Nerissa seriously, even though Calvin noticed a flicker of laughter play on Nerissa's lips for a second, "and I seriously believe that your presence on the quest may prove to be detrimental."

Just as Luxa was about to respond, Calvin saw a flash of sadness streak across her eyes, but she steeled herself to say, "I, of all people, understand what love means to you. But it cannot… cannot affect how you react to certain situations."

"No, I must go. It is imperative that someone who loves her takes care of her," Harold answered obstinately.

"Oh great. Now we have to watch the two lovebirds kissing while we have to watch guard," Lapblood grumbled. Everybody in the audience save Harold and Hero then instantaneously bit their lower lip to stifle themselves from erupting into laughter. Hero just looked ownright embarrassed by Harold's outburst, while Harold was flushing a scarlet red with anger.

"No,"Luxa replied tersely, "we will no longer tolerate your protestations, Harold. Please join the rest of the audience in leaving the council room. As mentioned earlier, the council is now adjourned. The quest members are to meet me in two hours' time."

Harold glared at her intensely for a few seconds, but Luxa appeared indifferent to it. Finally, he stormed out of the council room, unleashing profanity after profanity on his way out. Calvin just rolled his eyes and headed towards the corridor where Mareth was waiting.

"I don't understand what Luxa is trying to do," Calvin said, shaking his head, "she might have just made the decision to kill us all."

Mareth shrugged. "She can be stubborn."

"That doesn't entitle her to being stupid," Calvin replied angrily.

Mareth eyed Calvin for a moment. "Calvin, if I were you, I would remain cautious and choose my next few words carefully. You may have an opinion, but you should keep it to yourself. As I have suggested to others like you before, not everyone here is your friend." With that, Mareth strolled off.

Calvin frowned unhappily, but in the end realised that Mareth was right. Harold and Kent certainly weren't his friends. He didn't trust many people, and he was sure most people didn't trust him. He wasn't even that close to Ripred.

Just then, Hero made her way past him, shooting him an angry glare. Calvin was immediately taken aback. "What did I do?" he called out to her as she breezed past him without greeting him.

Hero spun round, disappointment written all over her face. "I saw you in the council room! You were laughing at me and Harold. You could have stood up for us but you chose to keep quiet and silently giggle away," she said accusingly, "I expected more from you, Calvin."

Calvin thought about responding passionately and aggressively, but instead chose to reply calmly, "My intention was not to hurt your feelings Hero. I am only human. We laugh when we think something is funny. And I thought that what Lapblood said was funny."

Tears welled up in Hero's eyes. She bit her lower lip, and then in a shaky voice, said, "Well, if you really cared about me, then you would have thought about my feelings!" With that, she turned and walked down the corridor.

"Hero, are you alright?" a male voice from behind Calvin called out.

Calvin and Hero simultaneously turned around to see a tall, young man, who was wearing a doctor's coat. He was decent looking, and even appeared slightly similar to Hero in terms of their facial features.

"I'm fine," Hero replied stiffly, before quickening her pace and hurrying down the corridor.

The man only sighed. "Greetings Calvin, I believe we haven't had the pleasure of meeting each other yet. I am Doctor Howard, and I'm taking care of your caretaker Mr Bennett. He is close to consciousness, and I assure you that you will see him before you set off on your quest." He extended his hand in an attempt to shake Calvin's hand.

Calvin shook his hand firmly. "Thanks, Doctor Howard. I owe you my utmost gratitude," Calvin replied, trying to sound as formal and dignified as possible.

Howard smiled warmly in return. "You're welcome. But why was my sister so angsty earlier?"

"Hero's your sister?" Calvin asked incredulously.

"Yes, she happens to be. Many of us here are related. For example, Nerissa and Luxa are my cousins, and Vikus is my grandfather. In such a small city, you will find that some of us are related in one way or another," replied Howard, with an evident twinkle in his eye.

Calvin was taken aback with this revelation. "Luxa's grandfather is Vikus?"

Howard nodded politely. "Indeed he is. Her parents are dead, and so is her grandmother. He is her last guiding light in her life. Well, I would like to count myself as her older brother somewhat, but then again she never listens to me," he said with a chuckle.

"I'm not surprised," Calvin snorted.

Howard only laughed. "You know, she's not always that bad. She inherited some of her grandfather's genes, so she has some good in her. The stubborn part comes from our late grandmother."

A sudden thought struck Calvin, and he couldn't help himself from blurting out, "If you are related to Luxa, this puts you in the royal family as well. Why is it I didn't meet you that night at the dinner when I met Luxa's other cousins such as Hazard?" He then looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed for asking the question so impolitely.

"There is no need to feel ashamed of what you just said," Howard answered kindly, "many have asked us such a question in a much cruder manner. While we are not often present in Regalia, my parents are in charge of another human city called The Fount. We hail from there. The only reason why you see me and Hero here is because I serve as Chief Doctor in Regalia and Hero is courting Harold. However, I suspect you will meet more of my family members soon. The Fount is unstable at the moment. If we survive the siege, the schemers will attack the Fount. So we will flee here."

Calvin nodded slowly. "Well, I'm going for a break. Pleasure to meet you Doctor Howard. Thank you for divulging some information with me."

"The pleasure is all mine, Calvin. I will let you know when your caretaker wakes up. I estimate he will wake up a few hours from now," Howard said with a bow, before striding off towards the hospital again.

Calvin made his way on foot to the arena, which appeared deserted at that moment. He picked up a blade and walked over to one of the dummies. He practised swinging his blade to hit certain weak points on the human dummy and the fox dummy. The limbs, the eyes, the neck… Mr Carter had taught him all these things. Calvin wondered how Mr Carter was doing at the moment. How was life going back in the Overland? Was he reported missing? Was his disappearance on national television? Would Mr Carter know where he was going?

He tried to ignore these thoughts and distractions, focussing on hacking the dummies. But the thoughts of the Overland began to intrude into his mind again, and endless streams of thoughts flooded his mind. Mr Bennett… his father… Hero… Vikus… Luxa...

Shouting with frustration, he whipped out his Berrett and fired six shots and the fox dummy, blowing its head off. "That's an interesting weapon you have there," a weary voice called out from behind.

Calvin whirled around to find Ripred slouched against the wall, yawning and exposing his razor sharp teeth. "They kicked you off the team," Calvin informed Ripred bluntly.

"Oh, I am so surprised. I did not see that coming," Ripred slurred.

Calvin decided to ignore the rat's sarcasm. "You know we need you," he told Ripred, "or we're all going to die."

Ripred waved his paw in the air dismissively. "You'll be fine," he responded nonchalantly.

Calvin lost his cool. "Stop it! We need you to help us! I don't care what Luxa says! In fact, I trust you more than Luxa! Look, even if you don't care about me, care about Regalia. Care about your people, your family. Do you not care about all of them?"

Ripred's eyes suddenly lit up with anger. "Do you really think I do not care about my family? My people? Look at me, boy. Look into my eyes. And now you know I'm telling the truth that showing my care for people has gotten me nowhere. My family is at the bottom of the river, separated from me by the very people who are barking orders at me. My fellow gnawers are being torn to shreds by schemers. Forgive me if I refuse to show any care for you, Calvin," snarled Ripred.

For a moment, Calvin forgot the anger Ripred was showing him, but instead focussed on the pain that Ripred was exhibiting in his eyes. A pang of sympathy shot up through Calvin as he remembered Ripred's story about his family. Instead of glaring at Ripred, or retorting back at him, he said to him, "I'm sorry for what I said. I understand how you feel."

Ripred stopped bristling with anger, and his expression softened for a moment. "In a sense, we're not very different, you and I," Ripred said after a lengthy silence, "because you are a son without parents, and I'm a father without children. And we both fight for a city which we officially have no allegiance to."

Calvin nodded, almost a little sadly. Ripred cleared his throat, before saying, "That weapon of yours. The pistol. It is a secret weapon that can be played on the schemers if the situation becomes desperate. I would suggest you use swords at the start, but when you meet Flavius, blow his brains out with that gun. Do you have more of these?"

"Yes."

"How many of them?"

"Three."

"Bring all of them. But store them away. I suspect you will have to use them at least once before you meet Flavius. Never mind. Keep the strongest pistol a secret. There is a traitor in Regalia, even if it isn't the schemer. The traitor might even be on the quest. I suggest you don't tell anyone about it except Lapblood, her children, Hecate, Nike and Temp. Only trust those few. Promise to me you will keep this secret," Ripred advised Calvin.

"I promise," Calvin replied.

Ripred seemed satisfied with Calvin's answer. "Good," said Ripred, who suddenly seemed very exhausted. He mustered up some strength to say, "This is my last piece of advice to you. Remember that night, when I talked to you about legacies? What I've been trying to say is that essentially, you will be compared in every aspect to the Warrior. Do not be daunted by that. Do not be frustrated by those comparisons. You can always step up and create your own legacy. You cannot always live in the shadow of the Warrior's legacy. Or it might threaten to crush you," Ripred said ominously.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Calvin.

"Because I have always felt that it is my allegiance to teach my students what is best for them," responded Ripred.

A ripple of surprise surged through Calvin. "I'm… I'm your student?" Calvin stuttered.

Ripred snorted. "Don't get your hopes up too high. You're not my student per say, but I have a strange feeling of protectiveness over you like I had for the Warrior. I am confident in your abilities, boy. You may not be a rager, but I'm sure you're capable of holding your own."

"What's a rager?" Calvin inquired.

"That's a story for another day," Ripred replied brusquely, "all you need to know is that the warrior's legacy may be immortal, but you don't have to fall under it. Be a trailblazer. Forge your own reputation. And you will find in yourself an inner strength you have never known before."

"Your thoughts are so... deep," Calvin remarked.

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Are you going to listen to my advice or not?"

Calvin nodded quickly. "I will, Ripred, but I think it's time for me to leave and hurry along."

Ripred waved his paw in the air. "Go off. But remember my advice, boy. My advice always come in handy."

Calvin just nodded and walked back towards the palace, reflecting on Ripred's advice. How could he destroy a legacy of Overlanders that was immortal? How could he imprint himself into a nation's history, and create a legacy far greater than the Warrior's legacy?

Just as Calvin was about to make his way to the council room, Howard intercepted him. "You will be pleased to hear that Mr Bennett is awake. He is weak, but he's much better. You can visit him now," said Howard with a smile.

Calvin could barely contain his excitement. "Could you please direct me to his room?" Calvin asked as politely as he could.

Howard nodded, and with a smile, said, "That's the plan." He quickly led Calvin down a series of unfamiliar winding corridors, that eventually led to a series of rooms, with glass panels for visitors to peer through. Calvin was led into one of the rooms, and found himself staring at Mr Bennett, who was lying comfortably on the bed. Mr Bennett's face lit up with pure glee.

"Calvin! It's so good to see you!" Mr Bennett exclaimed.

Calvin found himself running up to Mr Bennett to embrace him, something which he hadn't done since he was a toddler. He had always been fairly formal with Mr Bennett, and treated him nicely, but they hadn't been so close for a long time. Calvin felt a surge of gratitude towards Mr Bennett. "How are you, Mr Bennett?" he asked.

"Fine," replied Mr Bennett generically, before saying, "I still feel like a sack of bones, but I believe I've felt worse before. I think I'm getting old."

"We all do," Vikus remarked, as he entered the room, "Welcome to Regalia, Mr Bennett."

"Thank you, but who are you exactly?" Mr Bennett asked, lacking his normally refined tone.

"I am Vikus. I believe your master Richard knew me," Vikus introduced himself.

"Indeed he has," Mr Bennett confirmed, "and he spoke well of you."

"Has he now? Well, I must say that is a pleasant surprise. I think I should leave Calvin with you so you may speak privately. However, your presence is required in the council room in ten minutes," said Vikus politely before exiting the room.

Mr Bennett shot him a questioning look. "Why are you going to their council? Why are you wearing armour? And what happened after I collapsed?"

Calvin decided to condense the events of the past two days as fast as possible. He told Mr Bennett about how Ripred and Regalia's fliers fended off the foxes, and his introduction to the key people in Regalia. He then spoke of the tour he had with Vikus, and the dinner they had that night. He decided to exclude what happened during his "late night rendezvous" the previous night.

Calvin then went on to talk about the meeting in the council room, and the details that were divulged there. Furthermore, he included the whole sequence of events that happened in the arena, except the part where he felt awkward feelings for Hero. He then went on to discuss the siege of Regalia, and the ruthless cruelty of General Brutus and his schemers. Finally, he concluded with Ripred's confrontation with Queen Luxa, and his inclusion amongst the quest members.

Mr Bennett nodded slowly. "Seems like you've been very busy in my absence," he observed.

Calvin shrugged. "I've seen a lot throughout these past twenty-four hours. And there is more to come."

Mr Bennett leaned forward. "I don't have much advice to give. All I can tell you is to be careful, and to keep yourself safe. Don't do anything rashly. Always stay close to someone you trust. And do not walk straight to your death without considering the big picture," Mr Bennett pleaded.

"What the heck does that even mean?" Calvin said, scrunching up his face.

"It means don't throw your life away without thinking of the people around you and the people back in New York," Mr Bennett explained.

Just then, a guard walked through the doorway. "Overlander, the Queen summons you to the Council room," he said stiffly.

"Remember my advice, Calvin," Mr Bennett called out as Calvin left the room. Calvin just waved. Perhaps the wave was a little sad, but Calvin knew that there was a chance he might not see his caretaker again.

Starting to become more familiar with the corridors, Calvin made his way to the Council room with little assistance from the guard. As he entered the room, he realised that all the members of the quest had already gathered. All eyes in the room swivelled to meet him. He glanced quickly at Hero, but she seemed determined not to meet his gaze. He cleared his throat. "Sorry for being late," he apologized.

"You are excused," Luxa said, dismissing his lack of punctuality quickly. She swiftly got down to business. "The schemers say that we cannot go on our quest, or we will be attacked by the schemers. Under attack by such vast numbers and with the additional threat of miss… miss… missides… or is it missiles... yes missiles," Luxa said, struggling to pronounce 'missiles', "Regalia will surely fall. However, we have devised a simple plan to solve the problem. However, it is tricky to execute, so all here have to listen up carefully."

The quest members all became a little bit restless. Calvin had a feeling that nobody wanted to be part of a plan difficult to execute. Calvin knew these types of plans often went awry and bad things tended to happen.

"Our scouts have observed that the schemers have a slight weakness in their siege. The number of schemers that are deployed near the Waterway are particularly few. If you all escape down the river, then you can sail down to one of the banks near the forest, where your journey will continue towards the schemers' main base of operations. However, the lack of guards at the Waterway might be a deliberate ploy by the schemers to lure out our quest members, where we will be slaughtered easily," Luxa said grimly.

That was when Conrad stepped in. "That being said, we have developed a plan to counter this problem. We will send a number of soldiers dressed as fishermen, to check if the schemers are present in the area. If they are not, the soldiers will send a signal for you to come. If the schemers have set up a trap there, the soldiers will pretend to be ignorant fishermen, but will still send a signal. Not for you all, but for reinforcements."

Conrad paused for a while to let his words sink in. "The reinforcements will come, pretending to be under the impression that the fishermen were assaulted, breaking the truce that was struck between both sides. Amidst all the confusion, you will sail down the river and escape the chaos. Hopefully the schemers will not notice, for we will cover your scent in fish. Then your quest will resume from there, while you all are on your own."

There was an awkward silence, before lapblood commented, "I hate smelling like trout."

What she said wasn't particularly funny, but every quest member in the council room cracked up anyway. They were all so incredibly nervous. The fate of the Underland rested on all their shoulders. Agamemnon, one of the massive bats, wrinkled up his nose and said, "Unlike most fliers, I agree with you. Fliers generally love fish, but I prefer not to consume them."

"Great. Now all the fliers except for Agamemnon will gorge themselves on us," Lapblood said grumpily, and everybody started laughing again. Calvin realised that in retrospect, it sounded quite offensive, but everyone was so tense that they needed some humour.

"You all better get some rest before tonight. You have about three hours to gain as much as rest as possible. Tonight will be a long night. You'll need the sleep," concluded Conrad solemnly.

"Report to the armoury in three hours' time. From there, we will lead you to the river, where the plan will be executed," added Luxa.

"Schemers there are, how many, schemers there are?" inquired Temp.

"As mentioned earlier, temp, we're not sure. But we estimate that the number of guards present will number between five and ten," answered Luxa.

"Enough for me to kill," mused Sixclaw.

Flyfur shot her brother a look. "We should avoid battle where possible," she said frowning.

Temp's antennae shifted from side to side agitatedly. "Dangerous, this be, dangerous," he said uneasily.

Luxa seemed to be concerned by temp's words, but Conrad seemed to ignore them. "Keep your worries to yourself for now, Temp. We should not let it hinder ou… the quest," he said, correcting himself.

With that, the members were dismissed. Calvin headed straight for his room, where he lay on his bed. He decided to attempt to sleep, no matter how difficult it was, though. Slowly but surely, his eyelids began to droop, and the dark feeling of sleep began to embrace him and enshroud him. He felt words beginning to seep into his mind.

"_Come out boy! I can smell you, and I can smell your fear and anguish._"

He tried to ignore it, but just before he fell into the realms of slumber, he heard a voice say, "_Be on your guard, boy. Because I'm coming… FOR YOU._"

**Thank you to all those who have reviewed my story. I seemed to be caught in a slump for this one, as I struggled to write it. Nonetheless, this chapter is complete and I hope you have enjoyed it.**

**As the New year approaches during the next few hours, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have read and reviewed my story this past year. It has been full of ups and downs, but ultimately, I am satisfied with it. I wish for all of you to reflect on a good past year, and I hope all of you have an excellent 2015. This is adieu to 2014, but there are better things to come. **

**Happy New Year!**

_**For auld lang syne, my dear, **_

_**For auld lang syne!**_

_**We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,**_

_**For auld lang syne!**_

**Fly you high!**

**P.S. if you have any ideas on what adversities the quest members face on the quest, please feel free to share it.**


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